


Ghouls

by Mantabel



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Consensual Underage Sex, Dr. Hux and Dr. Phasma in the house, F/M, Human Experimentation, Loss of Virginity, Making Hard Decisions, Officer Ben Solo to the rescue, Officer Temmin is chucky, Poe is a mechanic, Probably should mention it’s a slow burn, Rey and Finn are adoptive siblings, Rey and Finn are siblings adopted by Poe, Rey has a baseball bat, Rey has a southern accent, Rey is 17 going on 18, Rey is very attractive to Ben, Reylo - Freeform, Sharing a Bed, Sheriff Holdo will take prisoners, Slow Burn, Snoke is the bad guy, Some sad parts, Survival, Takes place in Florida, Zombie Apocalypse, didn’t realize I missed that, inspired by the Dead Don't Die trailer, killing zambees, lets do this, morden day, some happy parts, zombies will be everywhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-01-05 11:33:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 68,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18365159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mantabel/pseuds/Mantabel
Summary: Something strange is happening in Polk City. The dead are coming back to life. Sheriff Holdo is forming a team with her officers, local mechanic and his kids to save their small town. Officer Solo is handy with a shotgun and a machete as Rey defends herself with her enhanced lucky bat. This is their home now. No one will take out the Resistance.





	1. Welcome to Polk City

Rey didn’t know how she ended up in this mess. She tried to tell Officer Solo that it wasn’t her weed he had found on her, but he wouldn’t hear it. He was just some young buck who was probably just trying to make his mark in the world and felt good roughly handling little girls. So now she was sitting across from him with her hands cuffed behind her back as he got the papers in order. She didn’t even know how it got in her brother’s truck. She shifted awkwardly in the metal chair as she tried to find a comfortable position. Perhaps it didn’t help her case that she was driving without a license in a car that wasn’t hers.

“How much longer?” she groaned as the officer got up to file whatever paperwork he was working on.

“Still waiting on your guardian to show up,” he answered.

“Can I at least get out of these handcuffs?” Rey asked as she jiggled them from behind her, “They’re starting to get very uncomfortable.”

“Crime is not meant to be comfortable,” the officer said as he slammed the filing cabinet closed.

Rey glared up at him. He had to be the worst officer Polk City could have asked for. Sheriff Holdo had let her off with a warning for driving without a license before. Heck, the most crime that happened in this nothing of a town was the thief of a ten piece meal at the local McDonald’s. Generations dating back to the Civil War have lived and died in Polk City. It was a town where everyone knew everyone and gossip spread like Spanish moss on the oak trees. Which meant at some point tomorrow at school everyone will know that Rey was held in handcuffs at the police station for driving without a license with a bag of weed in the glove compartment of a 1975 Ford F150. It didn’t help that it was going to be the first day of her senior year.

The front door pinged as she heard laughter behind her. _Thank God_. Rey knew she was safe from how clear and flitter Sheriff Holdo’s laugh was. She must be with Officer Wexley from the belly laugh she heard as well. She tried to swivel her head as the police officers walked in.

“Rey Dameron,” the sheriff tutted, “What kind of trouble did you get yourself in?”

“Oh, the usual,” Rey sighed as she smirked at Officer Solo, “This new guy here obviously has never lived in Polk City before.”

Officer Wexley was kind enough to undo her handcuffs as Officer Solo began to explain.

“She was caught going 90 in a 45 without a license,” he said and then pulled out the ziplock bag with the green grass in it, “I found this on the floor of the truck.”

“Oh, that is a new one,” Sheriff Holdo said as she picked up the bag, opened it, and smelt the contain, “very new.”

“It’s not mine,” Rey defended herself, “I don’t know where it came from.”

“Hmmm… so you’re saying it’s Finn’s then?” Rey froze. “That is his truck after all.” She slumped back in her chair and turned away from the officers as Sheriff Holdo knelt in front of her.

“Rey, I know he’s your brother and you’ve two have been through a lot, but you have a bright future ahead of you. Don’t throw it away over something as silly as this,” she said as Rey looked at her.

“It’s not mine,” she repeated sternly. The older woman’s face softened as she nodded. She slowly rose back to her feet as she tossed the bag back on the desk. 

“Well,” Holdo sighed as she turned to her officers, “did you get a hold of Poe, Ben?”

“He says he’s on his way,” Officer Solo answered as he adjusted his glasses.

“And I’m guessing you’ve done the paperwork already.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Oh… Ma’am,” Officer Wexley chuckled as he sat at his desk, “They teach that in Atlanta, boy?”

“Hush your mouth, Temmin,” the sheriff smiled, “You could use a lesson on manners.”

She walked into her officer as Officer Solo followed afterwards. 

“Listen, Sheriff,” Officer Solo started as he looked over the teenage girl, “I really don’t think she’s a bad kid.”

“Oh, I know,” she answered, “I’ve known her and her brother since they were 8 years old. Rey and Finn are inseparable and would probably go to their graves knowing each others secrets.”

“The brother’s a troublemaker?”

“Hardly,” The sheriff smiled as she took a seat, “but you know as kids get older, sometimes rebelling is what they do best.”

Officer Wexley offered Rey a coke as she waited for her dad. She flicked the tab as she eyed the new officer with the sheriff. 

“Where did you say he was from again, Snap?” she asked Officer Wexley. 

“Atlanta,” he said after biting into his sub, “transferred here about a month ago.”

“Is he always that serious?”

“He was a high ranking officer in Atlanta. Think he was about to be a detective at one point,” the bearded officer explained as he wiped his mouth.

“But why come to a small town if he was doing so well in Atlanta?” Officer Wexley shrugged as he took another bite of his sub.

Rey looked over the new officer again. He was tall which made him stand out like a sore thumb. He had a well defined nose, high cheeks, full lips, and black locks that curled where his collar met. She had never met anyone quite like him, not to mention Polk City never really got any new drifters coming through. The khaki didn’t seem to fit him too much and from the dark framed glasses made him, she would have thought of him more of a scholar.

When the door pinged again, she turned to find her father with a panicked look on his face. Poe’s hair was in a wild mess of curls as his orange Vols hat fell off to hug his daughter.

“Thank God you’re okay,” he sighed as he held her close. When he pulled back, Sheriff Holdo came out from her office with Officer Solo behind her.

“Now Poe, this isn’t the first time we’ve caught Rey driving without a license,” she stated as she eyed the mechanic and held up the bag of weed, “We also find this in the truck.”

Poe’s face turned white before he faced his daughter, crossing his arms over his chest as he brow furrowed.

“It’s not mine,” she quickly said, “I don’t even know how it got there.”

“So you’re saying it’s Finn,” he replied and she shook her head, “Walk. We’ll talk about this when we get home.” 

Hanging her head low, Rey took her walk of shame to the black and orange Camaro her, Finn and their father put time into rebuilding. She pulled out her phone and began texting her brother. 

**Rey: _Where did the weed come from?_**

**Finn: _What weed?_**

**Rey: _I got pulled over by a fish mouth cop and he found weed in your truck_**

**Finn: _Why were you driving my truck?_**

**Rey** _**: I have my reasons. Now where did the weed come from?** _

“Are you texting your brother?” Poe snapped as he got into his car.   
****

“Ummm... yes, sir.”

“Tell him to come home now.”

They lived in a quiet part of Polk City, in the outskirts of the town. Their yellow house could use a fresh coat of paint, but it was modest. Poe had inherit from his parents after they had passed. To Rey, it was the first place she ever felt like a true home. She remembered when her and Finn had met Poe for the first time, he had just gotten approved to foster kids. Single parents were rare and Poe being a mechanic was even more rare. Still, he had welcomed both of them with open arms and patience. Finn had been immediately draw to him as he had never had a steady father figure in his life, but Rey was more hesitant. She live cautiously since this was her third foster home she had been put in since she was 3. It wasn’t until the night she was locked in an abandon barn, that she truly realized how much Poe cared for her. He broke down the door and found her shivering from the cold. He wrapped her up on his coat and carried her all the way home. When she was too afraid to sleep in her bed alone, he allowed her and Finn in his room for the next few nights till everything was better. He loved both of them to death. She was sure he would die for them. 

He provided them with everything. Clothes on their backs, food in the bellies, and supporting them in all of their life decisions, Poe had been in their corner. He had their back for anything, however, it hadn’t been easy when they became teenagers. With hormones raging, the pair found themselves in more trouble than normal. There was the time Poe’s laptop crashed due to a virus that was download after Finn had discovered porn. There was another time that Rey was caught shoplifting lipgloss from the local CVS. Then there was a time when, they were at a college party in the next town over with some of their friends from school where they each consumed alcohol. Still, Poe never truly blew up on them, but instead it would be that simmering silence that made them more anxious than ever. His punishments were often taking their cellphones, games, toys for a week or so, and making them do extra work or chores. Most of the time it was helping in the elderly community where they would mow yards, clean drain pipes or pull weeds. It built character as some would put it. Rey was sure her weekends were going to be spent with Miss Kurtis and her ten cats. 

When he pulled into the gravel driveway, Finn was sitting on the front porch tossing his football in the air and catching it. Poe and Rey got out of the car as he stood.

“Garage, now,” their father said as he stomped around back.

“I swear to you, Rey. The weed was not mine,” Finn whispered as they followed. She hushed him quickly as Poe began lifting up the garage door. Finn and Rey took either side of him to help as it opened with rattling noise. It had been a while since they had been in the garage. The smell of oil and grease was strong as they saw a car under a cover. Poe walked over and tossed the cover to reveal Rey’s dream car: a 1965 blue Volkswagen Beetle.

“Dad,” she gasped as he looked between the two of them.

“This was going to be a present on your 18th birthday, Rey,” he said as he tapped the top of the car, “When I saw the body, I knew I had to get it, but now, I don’t even know if I should give it to you or sell it.”

“Dad, no…” she whimpered, “Please… it’s beautiful…”

“It’s my fault,” Finn lied, “Rey had said she wanted to meet up with some friends at the outlet and I didn’t want to take her.”

“Why?”

“I was at the park with Razoo and Statura. I didn’t want to be bothered.”

“And the weed?” Poe questioned.

“Mine as well,” Finn said.

“No, Dad,” Rey stepped in, “It was my choice to take his truck. I know I shouldn’t have, but… I was bored. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take the backroads for a bit.”

“That still doesn’t explain the weed Officer Solo found,” Poe snapped as he pinched his brow, taking a deep breath to calm down, “Look, they’re pressing charges on you, because your a minor still, but this is your second offense driving without a license, Rey. If you were so bored, why didn’t you just call me? I would have taken you to lunch or something. Heck, I could have taken the rest of the day off.”

She looked down at her ratted converse, not really sure what to say for herself.

“You’re grounded, okay,” Poe stated, “Which means the only places you go are school, softball practice and home. That’s it. Now hanging out with Kaydel and Paige until you can be trusted and you might as well wait to get this car when you’re off to college. Got it?”

“Yes sir.”

The next day, Finn and Rey were made to ride the bus to school. The truck was still in the impound lot and since neither one of them “knew” where the drugs came from, Poe figured taking Finn’s car keys would do them some good. 

“You should have told him it was from one of your friends,” Rey snapped as they took their seats in the back.

“Like I said, I have no idea,” Finn defended, “Besides, you shouldn’t have been doing 90 anyways. That new officer has been writing tickets left and right for people anyways. I could have told you that.”

Rey rolled her eyes as she put her headphones in. Like it even mattered now. When she had gotten pulled over, she had hoped it was Officer Temmin. He had caught many times without her license and all she had to do was bar her eyes and pout, promising she would never do it again. She wasn’t ready for the deep rumble that came with the broad chest and dark eyes. She nearly choke on her spit when she saw Officer Solo for the first time. She had no idea Polk City was getting a new policeman. So, she tried to put on her best smile and flutter her lashes to doll up the southern charm she had learned from Kaydel. When his stern look didn’t change, she knew she was in trouble. 

_“I don’t have a license, officer,” she meekly said._

_“Does this truck belong to you?” the officer asked as she eyed his mouth. She shook her head and he asked to get out of the truck._

When he found the weed, she remembered how his voice shifted in tone, somehow getting more deep. She shouldn’t have liked how assertive he was, but it was doing things to her. She wanted to see if she could rial him up, get his blood pumping. So, she started a back and forth with him, arguing with him, challenging him until he made her turn around and put her hands behind her back. When he put the handcuffs on her, she could feel a slight throbbing between her legs. She had never been more turned on. Seeing how his hand wrapped around her arm as he led her to his patrol car was amazing. When he slammed the door on her, she felt the car shake from the force. 

Rey was subconsciously rubbing her thighs together as the bus rattled down an uneven road. She had thought about him last night, with her hand down her panties as she bit into her pillow to not alert anyone that was sleeping. If she ever saw him again, she hoped he would be more rough in handling her again. 

 

**~*~**

 

Further up north at the Florida/Georgia line, an unknown building was a facility with a sixteen rayed insignia encased in a hexagon. Inside this facility, unknown testing was being done on transported prisoners on death row. They were test subject for serums that used to curse various diseases. Today there was an interesting discovery. On his way to the incinerator, prisoner FN2187’s pinky began to twitch. Unknown to the intern, electric currents started slowly pulse through the prisoner’s body. His chest slowly began to raise and fall his foot twitch. The intern had his headphones in listening to Ariana Grande’s latest single as the elevator dinged to its arrival. Prisoner FN2187’s eyes began to slowly open as his ears started to pick up a loud thudding noise. Then his nose picked up something sweet and tangy, almost like a fresh grilled steak with onions. His mouth began to water. Whatever this new smell he had to have it. He began to open his mouth.

“SssteaK...” he gurgled, but the intern didn’t hear him as he wheeled his body down the hall in the basement. 

“MmmmeeaatttT...” he tried again as the intern tried to power up the incinerator. It made a loud shrieked followed by a groan and then a thud as the intern mumbled under his breath about nothing working properly. The intern went to the back of the incinerator now know it probably needed to be cleaned out, because “Carson never cleans it afterwards. He just fuckin’ let’s it collect after a week. Fuckin’ lazy ass piece of shit.” FN2187 slowly began to lift his upper body as the white sheet slowly fell off of him.

“Ffffoooodddd...” he groaned as he lazily shifted his body. He couldn’t remember when was his last meal, but he would gladly take anything. He followed the smell, the tangy aroma that reminded him of his wife’s cooking. She must have been making his favorite. She had been waiting for him to come home for so long. 

Soon the incinerator was up and running as the intern brushed himself. When he turned, his stomach nearly left his bottom. Standing two feet away from him was the deceased prisoner, sway slight as he stared at him. Mouth slightly limp, shoulders slouched, eyes almost colorless and his skin a pale blue as he thought of his next move. He was back in a corner and there was nothing to defend himself as the animated body moved slowly towards him.

“SssssttteeaaakkKK…” it gurgled reaching out towards the intern as he backed even further till there was no where left to go. He started to shout for help, begging, but no one would hear him over the loud incinerator. 

“Lllliiinnndddaaa…” FN2187 groaned and grabbed the food he had found. He didn’t know why she was holding on to it. Was she still upset with him? He had to do what he had to do to protect his family. It wasn’t his fault someone ended up dead. He was just there. His lawyer was working on his appeal, but for now he was hungry.

“PLEASE! SOMEONE!” the intern shouted as the dead man bit into his neck.

Around the corner a pair of heels clicked as two people watched their experiment feed on the living.

“FN2187 is our most successful one yet,” the blonde woman with red glasses said as she scribbled in her notepad, “Snoke will be thrilled to hear these results.”

“Yes,” sneered the red hair man as he walked over to the prisoner pulling an arm off the dead intern to gnaw on. The man pulled out a pistol with a silencer on it and aimed it at the intern’s head. With one shot, he punctured the brain as blood slowly seeped out from the back.

“Email our findings to Peavey and set up a meeting with Mitaka about these new findings,” the red headed man said as he and the woman made their way back to the elevator.

“And the boy?” she asked.

“Has no family, no living relatives,” he answered as he called the elevator, “No one in the First Order even knows his first name. Burn all records of him as extra precaution. Oh, and send your troops to take care of FN2187. We don’t want a repeat of last time.”

“Yes, Dr. Hux.”

“This is a good day for us, Dr. Phasma.” 


	2. Tongues

“Now ladies, watch her form,” Coach Pava said as Rey stepped up to bat. One swoosh, the ball was tossed and Rey’s bat hit it with a loud ring. Right back into the net of the batting cage it landed as Rey reset her stance. She hit five more balls that way before Coach Pava turned off the machine.

“Each one a perfect hit,” the coach continued to the other 9 girls, “She eyes the ball and follows through with every swing. It’s not just her arms, but her whole body turns with her to send each ball flying. All right? Let’s see if you guys can at least 5 in a row?”

It wasn’t like Polk High’s softball team was bad. They were great either. They only won 3 out of their 8 games last season, but Coach Pava said that Rey had a chance to win major scholarship money if she stuck with it. She had connections at USF. She knew the coach over there and had plans to call them to scout Rey out. However, it was hard for her to think about college right now. Finn was ready to leave, to uproot and make tracks somewhere else. Most of their summer was spent looking at college campuses as Finn was determined to get into the University of Florida. Rey didn’t like the idea of leaving Polk City. Sure, it was a nothing of a town where nothing happened, but this became home along time ago. To leave would feel like a slap in the face to the friends she made, to the people she met, to Poe. So instead of thinking of the future, she just continued to swing her bat, hitting as many she could till her arms burned.

As the team started their 10 minute cool down stretches, Kaydel tried to get the details on Rey’s arrest.

“I mean was he at least hot?” her friend asked they stretched with their ride side.

“Eh…” Rey answered.

“Oh, he is hot,” Paige giggled as one of the players tried to hush them, “I saw him writing a ticket downtown on a car parked in a no parking zone.”

“He’s just another guy doing his job is all,” she continued as they stretched over to the left.

“Yeah, but you gave him lip, right?” Kaydel winked, “I heard your were cuffed at the station for a while.”

“Officer Solo on the beat,” Paige went on, “Was he rough? Did he toss you in the back of his car?”

“Maybe a little,” Rey whispered as her friends snickered.

“You know Holdo and her officers like to visit Maz’s Doughnut Shop every morning before patrol,” Kaydel added as they bent forward, “If you want, we could spy on them tomorrow before school.”

“Can’t,” Rey sighed as slowly rolled her top half back up, “Grounded because of the weed he found.”

“Wait, seriously? Weed?” Rey nodded. “And you didn’t think to share?”

“Seriously, Tico? Rey could have gotten in some big trouble.”

“Not that she already wasn’t with Officer Solo’s hard chest on her back,” Paige teased as she leaned into Rey, “Did he strip search you?”

“Okay, stop. You’re starting to make it sound like a bad porno,” Rey laughed as Coach Pava was bringing everyone in for a final pep talk. 

She went on about how this was going to be the season yet, the usual pep talk she did every year Rey had heard. However, her eyes drifted to the black and white patrol car that pulled into the parking lot. Sheriff Holdo stepped out of the driver seat as the tall Officer Solo followed suit from the passenger side. Rey bit her bottom lip to hide her excitement. Holdo always came to the end of the first practice to give the girls frozen popsicles to beat the Florida heat. As the sheriff approached the field, the officer reached into the trunk of the patrol car to ready the large cooler for the girls. Rey could almost see the bungle of the muscle in his arm as he lifted the large white cooler with ease to the pavement. She almost like the color khaki on him as well. When she turned to nudge Kaydel, her blonde friend seemed to notice him as well as he pulled off his glasses to clean the fog from them. She was partially drooling over him too. Rey rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the coach, only to have them drift back to Officer Solo as he squatted to open the cooler. Who knew a police uniform could look so nice, hugging all the right places?

“Afternoon ladies,” Sheriff Holdo smiled as the girls answered back, “Y’all doing all right?”

“Yes ma’am,” they chimed as she nodded.

“Well, I figured I’d bring the new guy out here with me and show him around. Get him to lighten up a bit,” Sheriff Holdo explained, “Are you about to wrap up, Jess?”

“Pretty much done, Ami,” Coach Pava answered and dismissed the girls from practice.

The teenager girls surrounded the young officer like hungry piranhas having a feeding frenzy. Rey and her friends hung back as they watched their teammates desperately try to grab his attention. Rey turned towards a parked car’s mirror to check how her three buns were holding up. It was a signature look for her. It was the only hairstyle her dad knew how to do. He said it made her look unique and was effective in getting loose strands out of her face. Paige smirked and wiggled her eyebrows before turning her back towards Rey and rubbed her hands all over her body.

“Oh, Officer, please frisk me,” she fake moaned as Kaydel snickered.

“Can you not,” Rey snapped as she smacked her friend with her mitt. The girls approached once the others started to disperse with the officer looking more frazzled than the cool and collect man Rey had met yesterday.

“What will it be ladies?” Officer Solo asked, looking in the cooler, “I have orange, pineapple, uhhh… grape, and I think cherry still.”

“Grape for me,” Paige chimed as Kaydel gagged, “What?”

“Grape is the worst,” she answered, making the girl laugh.

“Grape is the best,” Paige smiled as Officer Solo handed her the popsicle, “It’s like licking freeze grape pop.”

“Northern,” Kaydel murmured before turning her attention to the young officer, “I’ll orange, sir.”

She was laying on the southern charm a little thick as Rey rolled her eyes. Officer Solo offered her a small smile as she thanked him ‘kindly,’ before her mom blared her horn from her Sudan to get her attention.

“And what it’ll be for you, law breaker?” he asked as Rey smiled.

“So you do remember me?”

“Hard to forget someone who called me a pig and flatfoot in one sentence, oh, also four eyes and guppie,” Officer Solo responded as she blushed. She may have been a bit dramatic when she tried to rial him up.

“Umm… pineapple, please.”

She watched him bend down into the cooler, shifting through the ice before finding the popsicle she wanted. Shaking off the water droplets, he handed her the popsicle before lifting the cooler back into the trunk. She thanked him as she watched him bend and turn with ease. He hardly had to stretch as he closed the trunk.

“You’re not going to have one?” Rey asked as opened her popsicle.

“I’ll have one at the station,” he replied as he leaned against the patrol car, eyeing Sheriff Holdo as she talked to a few of the girls. Possibly sharing her stories of her time on the softball time. “So, you’re an athlete,” he noted, making small talk.

“Yeah,” she nervously said, “Coach says I’m one of the best.”

“Can’t really go places if you smoke pot,” he scolded as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking at her sternly.

“Like I said _Officer_ ,” she emphasized before licking the length of her popsicle, “it wasn’t mine.”

She took the tip of the frozen dessert in her mouth and lightly sucked on it before noticing how hard he swallowed. _Oh… that’s interesting…_ Maybe she was just seeing things, but it didn’t hurt to tease a little right. See if she could get something out him. Paige had told her a story of the first time she had suggestively eaten a fudge bar in front of her boyfriend. It wouldn’t hurt to _suggest_ to him what she could do, would it? She would be turning 18 in another 6 months. It’s not like she would really try anything till she was of age. Just _suggesting_ what she could be doing right now. So, Rey released her popsicle with a loud pop before licking her lips of the sweet juice.

“So, you’re from Atlanta?” she asked.

“Hmm…” he shook his head, “Oh, yeah, yeah, Atlanta.”

“A true Georgia man or are you from the north?”

“I’m original from Pittsburg,” he answered as his eyes followed her tongue along the length of her popsicle, “Yeah… Pittsburg.”

“How did you end up in Atlanta?”

“Transferred,” he sighed as she sucked a little lower on her dessert, “There was an opening and I took it.” He must have really enjoy the show as his eyes hadn’t left her mouth and popsicle yet.

“And now you’re in Polk City?”

“Yeah.” He swallowed again as Rey licked her wrist.

“Why?”

“There was an opening, so I took it,” Officer Solo said as his voice got lower. Their eyes met at one point, making him shift and look away from her.

Rey nibbled off the tip before some of it fell down her shirt, making her jump and drop the rest of her treat.

“Shit! Ah! That’s cold!” she shrieked as she saw her dad’s Camaro pull up in the parking lot. He acknowledged Sheriff Holdo as he called for his daughter. Rey heard Paige snickering as she climbed into her own car as Rey glared her from afar. She thanked Officer Solo for the popsicle before heading over to her dad.

“Hey Rey!” he called after as she was about to get into the car. He tossed her another popsicle before waving at her. “Get your license, okay?” 

Her heart nearly skipped a beat as he softly smiled at her before he headed over where the sheriff was standing. She eyed the wrapper and looked back over at him conversing with Coach Pava. He gave her a side glance before turning his attention back to the young softball coach. Rey smiled and blushed. Maybe he was also interested in her in the same way she was in him.

Rey was a smiling to herself as she did her Calculus homework. Okay, she was probably doodling her name as Rey Solo in the corner of her notes before her brother barged into her room letting know dinner was ready. Poe cooking was always the best. Well, it had gotten better since the first night they stayed with him. He had attempted to make homemade pizza that nearly set the house on fire. Since then, he had taken to watching Youtube videos and a few lessons from Mrs. Washington down the road. From grilling hamburgers to his famous chicken and dumplings, Rey found her father enjoyed cooking more and more when his children devoured their meals. As a tradition for surviving their first day of school, he always made creamy spaghetti casserole with garlic beard and a tossed salad. Finn always had a large helping of carbs as Rey tore the crust off of her beard. Poe listened as his son recounted the events that happened at school for him. Finn had always been a chatter box.

When they had first met at the orphanage in Tallahassee, Finn was immediately drawn to the crayons she was coloring with in the corner of the playroom. He went on about his whole life story, telling her about his mom couldn’t take care of him anymore and that his dad had disappeared from the face of the earth as he colored with her. Rey just listened as he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, like he knew this was going to happen to him anyways.

“My grand-momma wanted me to stay, but she’s dirt brought too,” he sighed as grabbed the green crayon once more, “She says that God has a plan for all of us though. She says I’ll find a better family to love me.”

Rey didn’t have the heart to tell him how untrue that was. Then, Poe came along and changed her mind for the better. She didn’t understand how accepting Finn was of his fate. For Rey, she never knew her parents and Finn could still remember every detail of his mom’s face as the state came to collect him from her home. Still remembered his other brothers and sisters despite none of them coming to look for him and even the sad eyes his grand-momma had as he was driven away from his home in Madison. Yet, he always looked on the bright side and that’s what Rey liked the most. He was her guiding light in terrible times and always looked out for her when the going got tough. Her partner in crime forever she had claimed as they craved their initials in the floorboard of the once share bedroom.

After dinner, they gathered in the living room to finish up on homework as their father flipped through channels, sipping on his Budweiser till he found the news.

“Further investigate is being done on First Order Enterprises after reports were filed that the medical company is illegally experimenting on human subjects. Police have be investigating their offices in Tampa, Atlanta, Nashville and their main headquarters in Washington, but have yet to find conclusive evidence,” the female reporter said as the imaged switched to another young, male reporter talking to an elder, tall man with a crooked face.

“After an anonymous tip was sent into police about illegally human testing on new medical products, First Order Enterprises has gone into mass overhaul to save face for the company. From press conference to meetings on capital hill, this multibillion dollar company is doing everything in its power to save face. Founder and CEO Arthur Snoke invited Channel 10 into their Tampa offices to show us what really happens behind close doors,” the male reporter said as clips of men in lab coats and goggles were seen injecting different serums into lab rats and mice.

“It’s all done humanely,” the elder man spoke with such an eerie tone that made Rey look up from her copy of Macbeth, “We are the leading company when it comes to medical break throughs. We would never want to endanger the lives of others. When I founded this company with Ani, we pledged our lives to make life better for our fellow man, to extend their expiration date if you will. Don’t you think man should be in control of his own destiny? With First Order, we want man to have a chance to play God and if that leads to a better life, then we will do everything we can.”

“What a load of bull shit,” Poe scoffed as he changed the channel. 

“If you ask me, he looks more like the grime reaper,” Finn laughed. 

Rey still felt unsettled by the powerful man she just saw. She had heard to whispering about First Order Enterprises, about the human experimenting that was apparently going on. It was the most compelling story the media had ever talked about, but seeing Arthur Snoke on TV made her more on edge. His skin looked liked it was stapled behind his head, his clothes were clearly too big for his shriveling body, but it was his eyes that pierced her soul. The cold blue color made her not want to sleep as she laid in her bed. She could still see the chilling smile he gave that made his blue eye twinkle. It was almost liked when Alice met the Cheshire Cat for the first time. She knew from the context clues that there had to be something more than what was surface level. So, to give her a peace of mind, she grabbed her laptop from under her bed and cleared the windows of tall men with dark hair in khaki police uniforms. She typed in _Arthur Snoke_ first and read as many articles as she could about him and his background in medicine. Nothing that was too compelling. He was a man from humble backgrounds who was awarded for his many break throughs in the health industries. 

Next was about the founding of _First Order Enterprises_ which turned out to be more fascinating than Snoke’s backstory. 

Turned out the First Order Enterprises used to be The Empire Medical Corporation started by Sheev Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker. It was a company founded to find a cure for deadly diseases and ailments to help improve the lives. 

 _“If possible, we will make man live for eternity,”_ Mr. Skywalker quoted in an article that was written back in 2003, before he passed.

His main driving force to keep going was the passing of his wife after she had died from a miscarriage. He had named Snoke as CEO to Empire before it was rebranded as First Order. It was clear that these men had a fascination with extending life or at least find the fountain of youth. 

When she went to the First Order site, the insignia made her feel uneasy. Encase in a red hexagon with sixteen little spikes piercing the black center. It made her think of the needles and the rats she saw on TV earlier. Scrolling through the site, she found a link to failed products. When she clicked the link, a screen popped up asking for an employee id number. A dead end on her quest for answers. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She didn’t feel any better, but she at least knew that the man she saw on TV was not really a monster. Just some old guy who wasn’t ready to die. At the corner of her screen, the clock read 3:05 A.M. Rey groaned knowing that school was going to be awful on only 3 hours of sleep, if she even got it. 

So, she closed her laptop, slid it back under her bed and turned over to her side. Pulling her blanket up, she hoped her dreams would be filled with popsicles, sunshine, and Officer Solo.

 

**~*~**

 

Dr. Phasma loved her job. She loved the fact that they were trying to search for the unsearchable. Every time they got close, there was always a road block. It was the challenge she had been looking for since joining First Order Enterprises’ research team. She had an office  in their remote location with a dry erase board that had equations and notes. A steel bookcase with various research books on the human anatomy and incurable diseases. Her degrees hung with pride on the wall behind her desk as she read over the notes from their most recent experiment. It was the best office she could ask for with no windows or clocks to distract her from her work. She could work for days without leaving this facility and get so much done. Though research was nice and pay steady it wasn’t her favorite thing about working for First Order Enterprises.  
****

“Dr. Phasma,” her secretary walked in with her afternoon tea, “they found him. Dr. Hux says he’ll postpone the meeting with Mr. Snoke until you’re finished.”

“Good,” she said with smirk as she stood to take her tea, “Is he in the holding chamber?” 

“Yes, Dr. Phasma,” her secretary replied, “Your troops are already interrogating him.”

“Naughty boys,” she huffed as she downed the hot liquid, “They know better than to start without me.”

Leaving her office, her silver heels clicked as she took off her lab coat. She placed it on a coatrack before scanning her badge on a keypad that unlocked a pair of silver doors. She straighten the wrinkles out of her blue dress and fixed the clip behind her head to keep her bangs from getting in the way. Continuing down her path, she heard the grunts and groans get louder. She would deal with her troops later. For now she had to deal justice on her had. Claudis, the large, bald ape man was punching the little mole that had escaped their private institute. The Goliath of a man didn’t seem to know his own strength as he punched the mole so hard in the stomach, he puked up his own lunch and breakfast on the floor. 

“Claudis,” Dr. Phasma called and the man stood at attention, “Dismissed.”

The man bowed before joining his comrades along the wall to her right. Dr. Phasma turn to the man who was still dry heaving. His left eye was starting to swell shut, blood was dripping his mouth as he whimpered softly.

“Hello Herman,” she said sweetly as she put on a pair of latex gloves, tilting his head up to look at her, “It’s so good to see you again.”

“Please… please… It wasn’t me,” the man begged.

“What wasn’t you, Herman?” Dr. Phasma asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“I… I would never… I’ve work 15 years with First Order… I could never…”

“Could never what?” Dr. Phasma gripped his throat, making him gag, “Humiliate us? Disgrace us? We have photos, Herman. Photos of you meeting with a reporter and a copy of your bank statement.”

“Please… I… have… a family…” the mole squirmed but her grip only grew stronger.

“Who else have you told?”

“Ahh… just the reporter… please, Gwen…” the mole begged as she slapped him across the face.

“You’re pathetic,” she spat, “At least the others before you put up a fight.”

Suddenly finding some ounce of confidence, the mole spat in her face, leaving a trail of blood and spit on her pale face. She smirked, taking a bit of the bodily mixture on her cheek and licking it off her thumb.

“There it is,” she laughed, “There’s the fight I was looked for.” She turned to her troops, “Claudis, Hans, hold him down. Luca, pry his mouth open.”

“What? What are you going to do to me?” the mole asked as he panicked.

“Killing you would be too merciful so instead we’ll make an example out of you,” Dr. Phasma said as she removed her glasses and turned to the table that had various surgical equipment. Plenty of things for removing body parts.

“Wait. Wait. Wait. Just hear me out, okay?” he begged as the men roughly pulled him back in his chair, “You want Detective Solo. All right? He was poking around on of the facilities in Atlanta before a transferred here about two months ago and started asking questions. So, I got spooked. And when that reporter… Ummm… what was his name? Luke! Luke Skywalker was asking questions, I freaked okay?”

“Luke Skywalker?” she laughed, “You expect me to believe that there is a man with the same last name as Anakin Skywalker?”

“I’m telling the truth,” the mole pleaded, “Look him up yourself. The check came from a sister of his who knew the detective. I swear on my daughter’s life that’s what happened.”

Dr. Phasma raised an eyebrow before pulling out her phone and searched for this Luke Skywalker. Sure enough, there he was with his patchy grey beard and his sandy locks with his name attached to an article about the First Order’s allegations. She tightened her jaw as her body trembled with anger. She then smiled when the article showed a picture of the old P.I. and laughed. If there was one thing the police hated more than criminals, it was private investigators. She laughed so her that tears formed in eyes as she tucked her phone away. Her men and the mole joined in the laughter as she tried to compose herself. 

“Oh, Herman,” she smiled, “you’re such a fucking idiot.”

She nodded at Claudis to hold his head back as Luca pried open his mouth. Grabbing a pair of forceps and scalpel, she approached the man as he struggled against the burly men. She turned on a surgical lamp before reaching the mole’s mouth and grasping his tongue with the forceps.

“Now Herman,” she said softly, “I need you to just breathe. This is only going to hurt more if you’re struggling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey... A new chapter as things spice up. Who knew people loved zombie stories so much. Thank you all for over 100 hits from the first chapter. I just had to write another one. Here's hoping I finish this one. Thanks to Timb3rfoxcr33k, spaceamazon, and Katie716 for your awesome comments. Please leave comments and kudos to let me know how you're enjoying this. Till next time. <3


	3. Twisty Treat

It had been nearly two month since Ben Solo had transferred from Atlanta to Polk City. His mom had encouraged the change, said it would do him some good to be away from his father for a while. Though it wouldn’t surprise him if his dad just uprooted from his Atlanta office to set up shop in Polk City. Everything was fine till he showed up with his hokey investigation on the Empire or First Order or whatever that medical company was calling itself. Ben had stretched his neck out for him before it costed him his job on the Atlanta Police Force. All he wanted to be a detective for the Atlanta PD, solve cases and clean up crime. Now, he was groaning as his alarm clock blared, waking him up from his dreamless sleep. He swung his feet over the side of his full size bed and stretched. He started his morning off with 20 push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks and lunges. He walked into his kitchen started concocting his protein shake for the morning before going on his 3 mile run. If he wasn’t sweating and panting at the end, he would go another mile. He waved to some of his neighbors who were starting their day as well, passing the swap the development was built around to find a gator peeking its head out. Once back home, Ben hopped in the shower as he sang poorly to Aerosmith, playing the air guitar to any of Joe Perry’s solos. After his teeth were brushed, he combed his hair, parting it just so to cover up his obnoxiously large ears. When his uniform was on, he was out the door to his assisted patrol car with his glasses on and his badge shined.

He pulled out of the driveway and headed to Sheriff Holdo’s favorite meeting spot for every morning: Maz’s Doughnut Shop. A cliche as some would call it. Cops in a doughnut shop before starting their morning. For the small town there were only 3 others officers along with Ben. Officer Temmin “Snap” Wexley, his superior in the fact that he was on the police force a year longer than him, Officer Riva Rosetta, who had made it very clear she was willing have sexual relations with him, and finally Officer Arthur “Artoo” Desmine, who liked to sleep in the jail cots more than file his reports and was about 10 day away from retirement or so he says. The Polk City Police Department was a joke. Nothing happened in the nothing of a town and anytime Ben tried to do his job, Sheriff Holdo would just let people off with a warning. No wonder that snot nose little brat with the cute freckles thought it was okay to just tell him off. The police department was a joke. Today, however, was going to change everything. He had his notes in his pocket and was ready to make a point on to why they need to be more assertive in this town. It wasn’t that he was miserable, but that he saw potential and wanted to help.

Just a little ways off the main road heading toward I-24, next to a 7-11 and a truck stop, Ben pulled into the parking lot of the infamous doughnut shop. Patrol cars lined up as he parked next to Officer Wexley’s. He took a deep breath, looking over his notepad one more time before exiting his vehicle. He was confident he was going to make a difference. He found his fellow officers conversing over their coffee and sugary dough in their usual corner, chuckling over jokes and stories from the past as Sheriff Holdo stood at the register to pay. With his chest puffed and his head high he approached the sheriff as she talked with the little elder woman about the new recipe she was trying out. 

“Nutella? Really?” Sheriff Holdo asked as she cocked an eyebrow with a smile playing at the edges of her lips. 

“Yes ma’am,” Maz stated, “Just two spoonfuls of that spread and you have the best chocolate icing ever.”

“Sure you’re not stiffing the customer on something more homemade?”

“For you, Ami, I’ll whip you up the classic chocolate icing you love so much,” she answered as she handed the sheriff a large pink box.

“Ah, Maz,” Sheriff Holdo smiles, “you don’t have to. The Nutella icing is good. I just wished you’d specify which is which.”

“I promise,” the little woman continued as she tapped the box, “you have the homemade icing in there.”

“Well, thank you so much,” she smiled as she took her box, “Always a pleasure doing business with ya.”

“Excuse me, Holdo,” Ben said as the sheriff turned to him.

“Mornin’ Ben. Good to see you have split yet,” she laughed as they walked over to the table where the other officers sat.

“Listen, I want to talk to you about meeting quota for the amount of tickets we issue,” he started, “Now, we need to start setting standards for the people of Polk City and know they can’t park in a fire zone.”

“Wasn’t that Mrs. Crockett you gave that ticket to?” she asked as she opened her box of doughnuts.

“Yes.”

“You do realize she’s 80 and is as blind as a bat?”

“No, I didn’t,” Ben shook his head, “Then we shouldn’t be letting her drive at all if that’s the case.”

“What are you agist or something?” Artoo barked as Ben turned to the old man, “I fought in the war before you were even a thought, boy.”

“Look, I didn’t mean it like that,” Ben said, “I meant that if we know that Mrs. Crockett has poor eye sight, she shouldn’t be driving. Not just for the safety of this community, but for hers as well.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Ben,” Riva sighed as she gave him that dreamy look, “Let’s impound her car.”

“No, no, no, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“Sounds an awful lot like what you’re saying,” Snap joined in as he licked the glaze off of his doughnut.

“I mean she did almost hit Mr. Larcener’s prized chicken once.”

“I fought in Vietnam, ya little twerp!”

“Look! I’m just saying…”

“Ben,” Sheriff Holdo interjected, “Look, I know you have good intentions, but this is Polk City. Hardly any crime happens here. I know. You know. These officers know. Now, Mrs. Crockett is a retire widow who has maybe one or two more years on her own before her kids decide to put her in a home and leave her there to die. If she parks in a fire zone, that’s fine. She only ever goes out just to get groceries and maybe her hair done.”

“But I…”

“This isn’t Atlanta where gangs are shooting at each other over turf, okay Solo,” she said sternly, “The sooner you understand that, the sooner you’ll have a better peace of mind.”

Ben sat in his patrol car off a dirt road as he looked over the radar while folks just putted along. He slipped the coffee he bought as he pulled out his notepad. He looked over his notes. Every single scribble just seemed pointless. He wanted to make a difference, but what was the point if no one embraced change? He let out a deep sigh and stuffed it back in his shirt pocket. He should have never let his dad talk him into going to that warehouse. He could still remember that passion speech he gave him that convinced him to go in that Denny’s. It wasn’t until his own brothers in blue found them in that warehouse that Ben knew his career was over. He was thankful that no charges were being brought against him and his father, but letting go was the most heartbreaking thing he could have gone through. He let out another sigh as he took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. When his mom and uncle got wind of this story, they berated his father for dragging him along on this wild goose chase.

 _“How could you do that to your own son, Han?”_ she had shouted over the phone, _“He had a promising career with the Atlanta PD! Could you for once not think of yourself for a change?!”_

The very next week, she came, helped him packed and told him she got him a job. District Attorney Leia Organa knew people. She had friends in places you would even think about. She set Ben up in starter home with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and living space full furnished. She had told him she had made a few calls and that Polk City would be a good fit for him.

 _“Sheriff Amilyn Holdo is a dear friend of mine and she’ll be a great mentor to you,”_ his mother explained.

Ben sipped his coffee once more before a car blurred by him. The radar docked it at going 80 miles an hour.

“That’s more like it,” he smirked as he started his car and blared his sirens. Within 5 minutes the blue Honda had pulled over and Ben grabbed his ticket booklet. He walked over to the car and knocked on the window before he started prepping the ticket.

“License and registration,” he said.

“Umm… funny you should mention that,” spoke a familiar voice. He turned to find the teenage girl he had arrested a month ago with her big hazel eyes and her radiating smile.

“Rey Dameron,” he continued, leaning over the window, “we need to stop meeting like this.”

“Well, some might say that you’re following me, Officer,” she replied as her friend with short black hair snickered.

“Let me guess, this isn’t your car.”

“It’s actually mine,” spoke the blonde girl in the back.

“Uh huh.”

“Look, Officer Solo,” Rey spoke up, “we were just hanging out, and then we started talking about food and Paige had mentioned she wanted Twisty Treat, but Kaydel didn’t want to drive so I offered. Had my eyes on the road the entire time. See, even my phone is turned off.”

“You were doing 80 in a 30, Dameron,” he noted, “in a car that’s not yours and I’m guessing, you still don’t have your license.”

He watched her face go pale as her blonde friend in the back slumped and her other friend next to her just smiled. He looked over the contains of the car from the driver side and noted it was fairly clean. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and these kids didn’t seem like they were going to get into too much trouble. He looked at Rey as worried her bottom lip. He thought back to Holdo words about realizing where he truly was.

“You ladies are hungry, right?” he asked as he closed his booklet up as they answered, “Tell you what, you switch drivers right now and drive the speed limit and I’ll let you guys off with a warning, but if I catch any of you guys speeding again, you will get a ticket and you will have to pay for it. Is that understood?”

“Yes sir,” they all chimed in and scrambled to change seats. Rey stood in front of him as her friend Kaydel slid behind her to get into the driver seat. He watched her eyes scan his face as she shifted closer to let her friend pass. She place her hands in the pocket of letterman jacket as her eyes met his once more. She smiled at him.

“Thank you, Officer Solo,” she said softly.

“Just trying keep lawbreakers like you out of trouble,” he replied with a cocky smirk. He noted the blush on her cheeks as she shifted even closer to him.

“Then how else will I see you if I’m not being a little naughty?” she asked as she rocked back on her heels.

“Crime doesn’t pay, Rey,” he said and nodded towards the Honda, “I’m pretty sure your friends are waiting on you.”

“Let’s go, Rey!” Paige shouted, “I need my Twisty Treat! You can flirt with the cop later!”

Ben chuckled as Rey got flustered. She said bye as she ducked back into the car. He waved them off as they headed down the road. She was a good kid that Rey. He could tell from the moment he arrested her. Feisty, with a lot of fight in her and cute freckles to boot, Ben was sure she got a lot of boys’ attention with just her smile. 

As he drove to the closest Chevron station, Ben thought about the little lawbreaker. She had an athletic body from what he saw at the softball field in August, tight and fit. She also had lovely eyes he recalled as she batted her lashes at him the first time he caught her speeding. However it was that southern voice that seemed make him melt. It wasn’t like the other accents he heard. Her voice made him think about warm apple pie. If America could have an advertising about their country, they should let Rey do the voice over work. People would be flocking from all over to visit them. He could listen to her read the manual to assembling an entertain center and he would be more turned on than ever. The only problem, beside her speeding, was that she was only 17 and still in high school. Of course it would be his luck that the only person he found slightly attractive was someone who would land him in jail quicker than his breaking and entering charges. Still, it didn’t help him that after he had arrested her, he had dream about her accent in his ear and her hand down his pants or that he shouldn’t have been so invested in the way she ate her popsicle.

Ben filled up his patrol car as he whistled to himself, trying not to think about his little lawbreaker till he heard a familiar bark. He looked up to spot the RV two pumps away with a bullmastiff scratching at the window at him.

“Shit,” he hissed as he pulled out the pump and placed it back in the holder. As he was about to pay with his card, he found a note that all purchases had to be finalize inside.

“Shit,” he hissed again and marched over to the store.

There were three people ahead of him as the cashier had finished with a man in a loud, peach Hawaiian shirt and fishermen’s hat. The next person checked was pretty quick too, followed by a lady who wanted to know the winning lottery number and to buy a packet of Camels. Ben nervously looked over his shoulder at the camper to see if the owner was there before the store bell rung. There he was in cargo shorts, flip flops, and an opened button down, Han Solo.

“Shit,” he hissed again as picked up a newspaper to hide his face. He watched as his father whistled to himself, walking down various aisle looking for things. Why was he here? Well, Ben could think of why he was here.

“Next!” called the cashier as Ben approached.

“Pump 3, please,” he said as he handed her his credit card.

“Sorry Officer,” she said as she popped her gum, “Card reader is down. Can only take cash.”

“Seriously,” he groaned.

“Don't get snappy with me,” she snapped her fingers in his face, “You may think you’re the law, but I know what your kind do. I watch the news. I see what your kind do on the streets.”

“Okay, sorry,” Ben fumbled for his wallet and handed her two $20s, “Keep the change.”

He rushed out to his car, dropping his keys as he reached for them.

“Shit,” he hissed as the mastiff started bark, “Shh… Chewie.”

He picked up his keys, opened his car and climbed inside. As he was buckling his seatbelt, he saw his dad walking out with a large paper bag and cigarette hanging from his mouth. He needed to get out of there before he was caught. Turning the car on, Ben shifted into drive and barreled out of the gas station so fast, he must have left tire markings. He didn’t look back. He didn’t want to look back. The last thing he needed was to get involved with his crazy investigation again. The sooner he was away from him, the sooner he can have a peace of mind.

 

**~*~**

 

They had prisoner CT 8051 in a controlled room with a two way mirror. It had at least been two months since the last experiment had happened and the CEO of First Order Enterprise was here to watch. Dr. Hux stood next to Mr. Snoke as Dr. Phasma conducted the experiment. The prisoner sat in steel chair with a table in from of him as one of the interns brought him his last meal. Meatloaf with collard greens, mash potatoes, corn on the cob and a fresh baked dinner roll with a tall glass of water. When the intern left, prisoner CT 8051 began devouring his food. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a home cooked meal and he sure wasn’t going to miss out on this. Dr. Phasma pressed down on the speaker and began to talk.  
****

“How do you like your food, Corbie?” she asked with a velvety, sweet tone that almost sounded like honey. The prisoner gave a thumbs up and he tore into the corn.

“Just like mama used to make, right?” He nodded vigorously as an answer.

“Good,” she replied, nodded towards Dr. Mitaka and he flipped the switched. Vivaldi’s Spring suite began to play over the intercom in the room.

“Now just relax, Corbie,” she said, “You’ll be drifting off to a special place soon. Some place warm and wonderful. Do you hear the waves crashing on the shore? We must be in St. Pete where you liked to visit so often. And the beach has tons of families there. So, many happy faces who are just enjoying the sun. That’s where you met Toby, right? Blonde hair, blue eye Toby who had wondered a little ways from his parents. You wanted to help him, didn’t you, Corbie? But you also liked how he looked.”

Prisoner CT 8051 stopped eating. Dr. Phasma nodded at Dr. Mitaka again and he flipped another switch.

“It’s not your fault that you were attracted to Toby,” she said sweetly as the prisoner tugged at his collar, “He should have known better than to had those blue swimming bottoms. Poor little Toby was lost and you just happened to be there.”

The prisoner started coughing and gagging as Dr. Mitaka flipped another switch.

“We know you never meant to harm Toby,” Dr. Phasma continued, “You just wanted to reunite him with his parents, but you couldn’t help your urges, could you Corbie? So, you took him to a cave, where you often take other little boys and wanted to show him a good time.”

“Umm… It’s a little hot in here,” the prisoner coughed as he drank his water.

An intern entered in dressed in a hazmat suit to pour him more water, scaring him and making his fall out of his seat at the sight.

“Hey! What’s going on here?!”

“Corbie, we need you to relax,” Dr. Phasma said as the prisoner tried to follow the intern out. She activated the shock device on his ankle to make him fall.

“What the hell is this?” Mr. Snoke barked, “I thought you said you had something for me.”

“Let me out!” the prisoner shouted as he got up and banged on the door, “Let me out, right now!”

“Patience, Mr. Snoke,” Dr. Hux said, “You’ll see soon enough.”

“If I wanted to watch a man die, I would have done it myself,” he snapped, “This is ridiculous.”

Then Dr. Mitaka flipped one more switch.

“The room is being filled with a poisonous gas mixed with the formula that we found brought the rats back to life after we simulated heart attacks on them,” the young doctor explained as the prisoner in front of them suffocated to death, “By mixing this formula with this gas, Dr. Hux, Dr. Phasma, and I have discovered something remarkable, Mr. Snoke.”

Prisoner CT 8051’s body stopped moving. He laid on the ground as Dr. Phasma started her stop watch. Mr. Snoke’s perched his lips as he furrowed his brow. Time is money and the last thing he wanted was his time to be wasted. 1 minute passed, then 5, soon after that 15 minutes had gone by with nothing happening as an intern brought them coffee.

“This is the longest one yet,” Dr. Mitaka whispered, “Are you sure they got the ratios right?”

“They should be. I measured them,” Dr. Phasma answered as she looked at her watched.

Mr. Snoke rolled his eyes and slowly stood.

“Well this was a waste of time,” he growled as his assistant brought over his coat and cane, “Call me when you have something more interesting to share.”

“No, wait,” Dr. Hux said as he blocked his way, “Just 5 more minutes.”

“I gave you 20 minutes, what more do you want from me? You said you had something remarkable to show but all I see in a dead pervert on the floor. The media is hounding me and soon the FBI are going to launch an investigation on my company! So I suggest…”

“Mr. Snoke,” Dr. Phasma interrupted, “look.”

The older man turned towards the two-way window to find the deceased prisoner was standing, his eyes held open, his mouth hanging open and his head cocked to the side. He staggered slightly towards the window as Mr. Snoke approached the glass as well. He was in awe of that man in the glass. He pressed a hand on the window as his breath was taken away. The scientists watched as their employer looked over the new creation. 

“Does it talk?” Mr. Snoke asked, not looking away from the glass.

“We’ve done this test almost 10 times,” Dr. Hux said, “We’ve done brain scans and there are no brain activity. They only feed on living things though.”

“Zombie,” he murmured.

“You could say that.” 

Mr. Snoke’s mouth curled upward as a chuckle came the back of his throat. Then the prisoner began to bang his head against the glass making the CEO jump. He banged and banged until the glass began to crack and shatter. In a panic, Mr. Snoke tripped over a chair as the prisoner lunged for him. Mr. Snoke screamed as his assistant ran to his aide, pulling the reanimated man off of him, only for the beast to attack him instead. Dr. Phasma and Dr. Mitaka pulled Mr. Snoke to safety as the monster began feasting on his living victim. There a shriek before Dr. Hux pulled out his silencer and shot two rounds. The struggle had stopped and the panicked had subsided.

“Take Mr. Snoke to sick bay,” he ordered, “I want him fully examined for any bite marks. Mitaka, call the clean up crew for this mess.”

As Dr. Phasma helped Mr. Snoke down the hall and Dr. Mitaka went to get his team, Dr. Hux put on a pair of gloves and grabbed a syringe from his pocket. He knelt at the two bodies, pulling the prisoner off of the assistant. He takes two vails of blood from each body. He tucked them back into his coat pocket. How things developed today, he needed to run more test on these. He needed to know how this could be beneficial to the First Order.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papa Solo has appeared and it's clear that Ben finds Rey attractive. Still trying to figure out how zombies work, but we'll get there when we get there. Thank you so much to AlbaStarGazer, Zombie_Queen and T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3 for your awesome comments. I'm surprise how much traction this has gotten in the passed couple days. Almost 400 hits and nearly 30 kudos. Honestly, I can't believe it. Had I known this, I would have written this sooner. <3 Thank you again and hope you like this content.


	4. House Party

This was dumb. This was so dumb. This was really, really dumb, but here Rey was in Kaydel’s room, having her makeup done by Kaydel as Paige scrolled through her phone for the latest gossip. It was Homecoming week at Polk High. The game was going on at school, but the girls were getting ready for a party at Dylan White’s house.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this. This is dumb,” Rey giggled as Kaydel appealed eyeshadow to her lids.

“No, it’s not,” she assured her as she started to add glitter along her cheeks, “This is going to be a rad party and if it’s rad enough, maybe Officer Solo will come and break it up.”

Dylan’s parties were notorious over the summer where the sheriff and her officers were called a ton of times to break up the madness. Rey and her friends had yet to go to one, but they had seen pictures of the massive bonfires, trash lawn, and wrecked swimming pool to know what they were getting themselves into. So, naturally the only reason Rey wanted to go to this party was for the police to be called.

“Oh yeah,” Paige giggled, “Please, Officer. I have nothing on me. You’re more than welcome to frisked me.”

“Shut up, Tico!” Rey shouted as she tossed her Coke can at her.

“Do you want to get this older man or not?” Kaydel scolded as she had to fix the glitter again. 

“Isn’t it kind of illegal to do something like this? Like age of consent and all?” Paige asked as she rifled through Kaydel’s mini fridge.

“Age of consent is 18 and I’m like 5 months away from that,” Rey admitted, “Not that I’ve looked it up or anything...”

Kaydel smiled as Paige continued to laugh. 

“Oh, she really has it bad.”

“So bad,” Kaydel smirked as she began undoing Rey’s buns and grab a brush, “Do you even know how old he is?”

“Like... 27... 28...” Rey hesitated, realizing maybe she might be giving too much away, “28…”

She may have looked him up on the city website and may have printed out his print to put in her diary.

“Oh, so 10 years isn’t that big of an age gap for you?” Paige asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not like he is 60 and on retirement,” Rey defended, “Besides, all the guys in high school are jerks. Officer Solo is a man of the streets. He knows what’s up.”

It should be said that Rey was still a virgin. She had seen teen dramas where the breaks up normally happened after the girl has lost her virginity to her football jerk boyfriend who always left her high and dry after their night of bliss. Rey had a boyfriend over the summer, but really wasn’t feeling. There was no spark, no chemistry and he had fumbled a few times trying to take off her bra. If anything, she had just pretty much thrown him a bone. However, Officer Solo was a different story. There were things she wanted to do to him, that she didn’t even know the names to. So, when she found the karma sutra online, she wondered if she should learn some yoga on the side. In other words, she knew who she wanted to lose her virginity to. 

Ever since Officer Solo has walked into her life, she has thought of nothing else, but sex. He was the sexual awakening Paige had been talking to her about since they were thirteen. She never thought it would come from a man in khakis.

 

**~*~**

 

Night patrol wasn’t terrible in Polk City. Normally you were paired off with another officer and it was only on the weekends after a big football game. Things tended to quiet down as early as 2 in the morning, which meant Ben could sleep in on Sunday. That was his favorite part of late night patrols. However, his first night on patrol was awful when he was paired up with Officer Rosetta. She made a lot of sexual advices towards him that he chose to walk home rather than stay in her patrol care for another 15 minutes with her. The next night, he was paired with Officer Artoo, who just slept most of the night and complained the next day on how Ben was no help at all. Also, he had mentioned he had ten days till his retirement and felt he was excused from these duties. Finally there was Officer Wexley, who was actually great to talk to on night patrol. He had all sort of fun stories about his life in Polk City. He was very knowledgable about the area and knew of some of the best hole-in-the-wall places to get fish. So, he beg Sheriff Holdo to make them a permeant pairing.

This night was Homecoming for Polk High School and they already had a heads up to keep an eye on the White’s residence. The police department had multiple complaints about the home two weeks before the event was supposed to take place. So, Ben and Snap were parked a block away from the home with their lights off as they watched kids arrive at the home. Snap had a pair of binoculars as Ben “made note” of the kids showing up.

“Okay, so that’s Marcie Brown and ummm… Cova Nell,” he told Ben as he scribbled on his notepad, “Wow, an actual stake out. I’ve never done one before. Have you?”

“Once. Back in Atlanta.”

“Woah…” Snap was also easily impressed with an active imagination, “Was it some drug king you guys were tracking down? Or some gang that were involve in some murder case? Or was it a govern involved in a case, but you find out he’s having an affair with the help?”

“Umm… just some drug cartel,” Ben plainly put it before sipping his coffee.

“Did you guys shake down the place? Go in guns blazing?”

“No, we just found a meth lab.”

“Like in Breaking Bad?”

“Why don’t you go back to spying on the kids and see if you notice anything suspicious.”

Snap nodded and went back to looking through his binoculars.

“Oh, ho ho… Rey Dameron, what are you wearing? Poe is definitely not going to be happy with that, young lady,” he chuckled. Ben turned an immediately grabbed the binoculars to look.

Though the lighting was dim, he could make out the silhouette of a pair of short shorts, a tank top showing of her mid drift and a pair of cowboy boots. Her hair was actually down in soft waves from what he could tell as her and her friends approached the White residence. She looked like she wanting to stir up trouble. The door swung open as a boy answered it and welcomed the young ladies with open arms.

“Shit,” he growled. She shouldn’t be dressed like that at a place like that. It would mean trouble.

“What is it?” Snap asked, “Drugs? Guns? Gang rape?”

Ben slowly looked at him with his brow furrowed.

“I’m just saying, it could happen. I’ve watched the news.”

“Look, we’ll give this another 30 minutes and if it gets too rowdy, we’ll go in, okay?” Ben said. Regardless what Officer Wexley may think in that 30 minute window, they were going to break up that party.

 

**~*~**

 

Rey honestly wasn’t a big beer drinker. She only got a can to feel like she was fitting in. She mainly stuck close to Kaydel as Paige was busy getting her dance on with her boyfriend. This party was actually more of a buzz kill than anything else she had ever been to. Weren’t Dylan White’s party notorious? She had heard to story of Mrs. Fields being caught smoking weed with her students from A.P. Biology, but so far this party was totally lame.

“There is no way they’re coming,” she whispered to Kaydel as she bobbed her head to the music, “I mean, the music isn’t loud enough to drown out my thoughts.”

“Just give it some time. The night is still young, Rey,” Kaydel answered as she chugged the rest of her drink, “Wooo! You want anymore?”

Rey shook her head as her friend walked back to the kitchen. She eyed the crowd of students that were here. Jocks, cheerleaders, the student council, the debate team, the theatre kids, all of them mixing and mingling. She was surprise her brother wasn’t here yet, because he had said he had been to all of Dylan White’s “legendary parties.” So, she decided to wonder to the backyard where the air had a slight chill to it. She wished she hadn’t let Kaydel and Paige talk her into wearing such skimpy clothes. She was at least starting to regard the tank top. She passed a few of her classmates were chilling and talking as she went to grill. Kit Fisto was in charge of that as he had his dreadlocks tied back and a “Kiss the Chef” apron on.

“Ehh.. little sis,” he called as he stepped away from his duties to hug her, “How’s it going? Your brother here?”

“If he is, I haven’t seen him,” she replied as she hugged him back, “I thought this was supposed to be a wild party? What gives?”

“Patience, little sis,” he smirked as he grabbed a plate with a waiting hotdog bun, “The master of ceremonies is not here yet.”

“Dylan White? I saw him when I first got here.” Kit laughed as he gave her the plate.

“Not Dylan, little sis. Bala-Tik and his gang.” Rey’s spine just had a chill. This was not good. This was the last place she wanted to see her ex at.

 

**~*~**

 

Snap got his nickname because of a tick he has. When he is either excited or nervous, he will often snap his fingers a lot to alleviate stress. That was one of the first time he told Ben when they met and Ben didn’t understand it then. He had been snapping his fingers for the past 20 minutes and Ben tried his hardest to not think about it. Snap also jumped anytime a car drove by them. How he became a police officer, Ben would never know. He had to have connections somewhere.  
 ****

“Man, are stake outs always this nerve wracking?” he asked.

“No,” Ben answered as he looked through the binoculars, “They tend to be more quiet.”

“Oh... I guess even in a city like Atlanta people need to sleep, huh?” Snap chuckled still snapping. 

“Yeah, pretty much,” Ben sighed as he saw a red Mustang pulled up and parked on the side street. He watched as 6 boys in red hoodies got out of the vehicle and approached the residence.

“Hey, Snap,” he turned toward his partner, who was munching on some fries, “those boys in the red hoodies, who are they?”

“Guavian Death Gang,” Snap answered, “they’re a local group of kids who like to stir up trouble. Nothing too bad. Just tagging walls, shop lifting, and the occasional defection on public property, but nothing serious like your big drug bust.”

“But you would say they’re hoodlums, right? Up to no good?” Snap nodded as he wiped his greasy hands. “Well, why don’t you say we pay the Whites a visit?”

 

**~*~**

 

The last time Rey hid in a bathroom was when she went to a sleepover and she was nervous about interacting with the other girls. Poe had told it would be good for her to make new friends after her and Finn were put in different classrooms in 6th grade. Rey remembered excusing herself from the party as they were baking cookies and tried to call her dad to pick her up. She was in tears when he told it would be all right. After another 15 minutes on the phone, he said he was on his way. Her luck had changed when Kaydel and Paige joined her soon after, checking to make sure she was okay. They kept her company till her dad came. Kaydel braided Rey’s hair and Paige cracked jokes about the boys in their class. It turned out they weren’t having much fun either at the sleepover. By the time Poe came to pick Rey up, she had changed her mind and told him that he worried too much.

Now, Rey was hiding in a bathroom to get away from her ex who had yet to get over her. Braydon “Bala-Tik” Tyson was the worst boyfriend anyone could ask for. Leader of his Guavian Death Gang, he had a reputation for being bad. He had approached Rey and her friends at the local Sonic to ask her on a date. She of course said yes, because no one had ever asked her out before and who didn’t want to catch the eye of Polk City’s hottest bad boy. He was a high school dropout who had a wicked ride and his gang was notorious for defacing the courthouse. However, that was all surface level. He turned out to be a horrible kisser, terribly clingy and was in need of constant validation and attention. He would come to Rey’s summer job to spend time with her and chase off any of the male customers who would talk to her. It ended up costing her the job, not that she really liked it. The final straw came, when she was going to go through with having sex with him. She figured, might as well give him that, but he ended up crying before they could even get started. He blabbered on about how this was a beautiful moment for both of them, that she was his serious relationship and how he couldn’t wait to plan the rest of their lives in Polk City. When he told her he loved her, Rey ended up breaking up with him after that. 

Now, she avoided him like the plague. She had changed her number after he wouldn’t stop texting and calling her at all hours. Poe and Finn had chased him and his gang multiple times when they would drive by their home. She was graceful that the school had a restraining order against him, so he wouldn’t be anywhere near her there. However, Dylan White’s party totally blew chucks. 

She peeked out of the bathroom door to see if he had made his way to some other part of the house, so she could make a bolt for the door. No such luck as he hung to foyer flirting with another girl. Rey rolled her eyes and closed the door. She looked around the half bathroom. Of course she would pick the one bathroom that had no window. She was about to give up until there was a loud knock at the front door.

“Polk City police,” came a muffled, deep voice that made Rey jump, “Open up.”

Rey peeked our again to find Officer Solo standing at the front door as Bala-Tik tried to dip back into the kitchen. The power in his stance could make anyone weak as he peered down at Dylan White. 

“H...how can I help you, Officer?” he asked as Officer Solo allowed himself in with Officer Wexley following behind him. Rey could already hear kids making a run for it in the backyard as the officers inspected the house. 

“You take the upstairs, Wexley,” Officer Solo said as his partner nodded , “As for everyone who has not try to make a run for it, in the living room now. You will provide names to all your friends who were here drinking under the age.”

Rey tried to stifle her excitement, but this was too much. The proud he had over the room of teenagers was too much as he found a large stack of printer paper and whole basket of pens. 

“Every single name,” he commanded as Wexley was escorted some kids downstairs. 

“Found weed and pills, Solo,” Officer Wexley said as he tossed his partner the ziplock bags. 

“You watch them. I’m going to scope the area. Start calling parents too and let them know what their kids have been up to.”

He walked passed the bathroom she was in as she ducked back. She wanted to the last person he found. She looked at her reflection in the small mirror and started fussing over her hair. She shook it out, parting in a few times before she looked over her make up. In her front pocket she had some lip gloss to reapply and that’s about it. She tried pulling the shirt a little lower so the black bra she had under peeked our a little. She started hearing his loud footsteps with muffled complaints of the other kids he had caught. Rey waited on bated breath for him to swing open the door, but he passed by it again. He walked back and forth, gathering more kids as Rey sat on the floor waiting for him to find her. She started wondering if hiding in this bathroom was even a good idea to begin with.

 

**~*~**

 

She shouldn’t have been that hard to find as Ben start rounding up all the teens he could find. Officer Wexley dealt with the parents as they came to collect their kids as Ben settled on rounding up any who straggled behind. It was his third time going outside with his flashlight when heard some shuffling in the shed to his right. He approached the shed slowly as he heard some whispering between a boy and a girl. His cock his eyebrow when he read a sign that said _Love Shack_ nailed to the door.

“My shirt, Finn,” the girl hissed, “Where is it?”

“Umm… I can’t see without any light, Rose,” the boy whispered back.

“Shh… I think someone is coming…”

Ben pointed his light behind as he reached for the handle. These two must not have known what was going on and were probably the only two left.

“Is he gone?” the girl asked before Ben swung open the door, making the two jump back as he shone his flashlight.

One dark skinned boy he had met once before and a small Asian girl who looked a lot like one of Rey’s friend, but no Rey. The boy blocked the girl’s body from view as it seemed they were both in a state of dressing. Their shoes were miss, his belt was undone, his shirt untucked, and her hair was a mess. Ben saw a disposed condom wrapper on the ground next to the deflating air mattress in the corner. Guess now he understood the sign.

“We weren’t doing anything,” the girl said quickly as she squared down, finally finding her shirt, “We were just talking.”

“It’s not illegal to have consensual sex, you know?” Ben stated as the pair blushed, “Is there anyone else out here with you?”

“Just us,” the boy said.

“Finn, right?” The boy nodded. “Have you seen your sister?”

“Last I saw her she hiding in the bathroom from that creep, Braydon,” he answered as Ben watched his body tense, “Did you find him?”

“No, but we’re getting names of everyone that was here,” Ben assured him, “Come on, guys. Head to the living.”

“I… I’m not supposed to be here,” the girl said nervously, “My sister doesn’t know I’m here… or my parents.”

“Well, luckily, you’re not the only one who snuck out tonight,” Ben said as he led them back into the house.

 

**~*~**

 

It had been nearly an hour since the police had arrived and Rey was still in the bathroom. She heard a lot of disappointed parents either thank Officer Wexley, begin yelling that the kids or both. She let out a long sigh before deciding it was best that she got this over with. Officer Solo obviously wasn’t that great of a detective if he hadn’t checked this bathroom by now. She slowly got up and walked towards the door. As she reached for the handle, it swung wide open to reveal the tall officer behind it. Rey nearly jumped back when she saw him towering over her. Hair was slightly messy, eyes had little bags under them, and he like he was frantic.

“Rey,” he said and it took everything in her not to smile at him, “what are you doing in here, little lawbreaker?”

“Oh, you know, hiding for the police,” she answered as the counters of her lips began to curl. She was ready to put up a fight, but as he stepped back she found her father looking cross with her brother hanging his head low. _Crap… this was not how it was to go at all…_

 

**~*~**

 

Dr. Mitaka was in love with Dr. Phasma. Whether she knew that or not, didn’t matter to him, because just being in her presence was enough for him. The sex was just an added bonus. He entered into her office as she was going over some more test results from lab and locked the door behind him.

“What is it, Dopheld?” she asked, not looking up from her work, “I’m busy.”

“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood,” he answered as he walked behind her, “You’ll be happy to know Mr. Snoke received no bites and his blood work came back negative.”

“What about ours?” she asked, still not looking up as he began to massage her shoulders.

“Armitage is still working on that,” he said as he leaned down to kiss the nape of her neck.

“Dopheld, please,” she groaned, “I’m busy.”

“It can wait,” he sighed as he began to unbutton her white blouse, nibbling on her ear before cupping her breast.

“Dopheld,” she moaned as his hand slipped under her bra to tease her nipple.

He was attracted to her the moment he saw her at the interview for First Order Enterprises. A tall woman who wore 5 inch heels with icy blue eye and palladium, blonde hair made him weak in the knees. The way she walked, talked, dressed was that of a very powerful woman and Dr. Mitaka was infatuated. It had surprised him the first time she had approached him to have intercourse. He was sure her and Dr. Hux had a thing, but Dr. Mitaka didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. Ever since then, their work relationship had developed into one with benefits and he never disappointed her. She would be a giggling mess at the end, kissing him lovingly and cooing over him, that it put a bit of a pep in his step.

Now, he was on his knees with one of her legs over his shoulder, her breast on full display and her lacy, black underwear around her ankle as his mouth kissed her beautiful pussy. 

“Dopheld,” she sighed as his tongue licked her slit.

A great powerful woman who trembled at how his pleased her with his mouth. Pulling the lips apart, he found her lovely, pink clit begging for his attention. His eyes never left her face as he licked the sensitive bud.

“Dopheld,” she whispered, closing her eyes and tossing her head back.

Oh, she beautiful when she unraveled. He loved watching her face contort and feel her hips jerk against him as she lost the function to speak. It unlocked something primal in him knowing that he made her feel this was. He loved the way her pale skin turned red and the way her nipples hardened just from the chill in her officer. As his tongue probed her entrance, Dr. Phasma moans became higher and her pleaded were more frantic. 

“Please… Dopheld, need you to fuck me,” she begged.

From that, he found the strength to throw her on her desk, kissing her passionately as she ground against his dress pants. As he undid his belt, she turned herself over on her stomach and wiggled her ass for him. With the palm of his hand, he smacked her perfectly round ass as he rifled through her drawers for the hidden box of condoms. Their little secret, tucked away in a book he had given her for her birthday last year. Once he was sheathed, he slowly entered her waiting cunt and wasted no time. That was one thing Dr. Phasma hated. Skin against skin, Dr. Mitaka grabbed her waist as she moaned. The desk scraped against the floor as he drove his hips against her.

“Yes… yes… yes,” she chanted as he felt her tighten around his cock. He was so close, but he didn’t want it to end.

“Harder… Dopheld… AHHH!!!” He grabbed her hair and pulled hard, “YES! YES! YES! FUCK ME!”

She liked it more when he was rough. When he smacked her ass and called her a slut, it always drove her over the edge. Her legs began to quack as he heard a little trickling noise hit the floor. He spilt his load into the condom before slowly pulling out. 

“Shit, Gwen,” he sighed as he slumped into her chair while she giggled.

“Dr. Phasma,” her secretary paged over her phone, “Dr. Hux is requesting yours and Dr. Mitaka presence in the lab.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just write a sex scene between Phasma and Mitaka? Yes... Yes, I did. I have no regrets. I hope you all are enjoying this story. It's fun and challenging for me and I love developing these characters. I'm not entirely sure how to start the zombie apocalypse, but we'll get there when we get there. Thank you so much for nearly 500 hits and nearly 40 kudos. I'm glad so many of you all are enjoying this. Thanks to uh_no_thanks, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shyo3, Katie716, and Zombie_Queen for your comments in the last chapter. Enjoy and I'll see ya'll in the next chapter.


	5. Catch and Release

Han Solo liked to think of himself as a good detective. When he was on the force in New York, he took down more drug kingpins, mafia bosses, and rival gangs than anyone else on his department. Him and Lando Calrissian were a good team. They met after both were promoted and paired off. It wasThey knew each other like they were brothers and bickered like they were a couple. He was the Godfather to his one and only son and was practically family in Leia’s eyes.

Then it all changed October 14, 2006. 

Han had gotten a call about a dead body found near an abandoned warehouse. When they went to investigate, it looked like the body had been dumped. Then they looked inside the warehouse, there was something more sinister going on. They found man size cages, an operating table, empty IV bags, needles and lots of dead rats. The smell was so pungent, that Han had to excuse himself to vomit outside. Lando and him had come upon a lab. Upon, further investigation, they found the area had been wipe clean of any fingerprints or DNA. Even their dead victim was clean, teeth pulled, hands and feet burnt and his hair completely shaved. There was no way to identify who this person was.

The rats they had found were examined. They were poisoned but nothing that would led to the vic. The needles and IVs seemed to be unrelated to the vic as well. Just randomly placed there to through the cops off their investigation. It was turning out to be a cold case until Lando had found a business card for the First Order Enterprise for a Doctor Brendol Hux. When they got to his office, it seemed very different from the warehouse they had found. A polished grey building with white halls, where tons of lab workers running around. It was insignia that gave Han a bad feeling. The black hexagon with the sixteen rayed symbol was very unsettling. It remembered him too much of the Empire prior to the take over. He had heard of the scandals that had come with the medical company’s fall, of their illegal testing on orphaned children and death row prisoners. The photos that came from the aftermath were very disturbing. Most of the bodies that were found were unrecognizable. Much like their vic, they were removed all strands of DNA and they were unable to find a cause of death.

Brendol looked over the pictures they had brought of the sight as well as their victim, but he claimed he knew nothing of the warehouse or who the dead body. He fully corrupted as well as his team, but there was nothing to find. The trail had gone cold.

They had met with brother-in-law, Luke Skywalker, over lunch to discuss the case. He being an investigative journalist often helped put things into a different perspective.

“This looks exactly like the labs the Empire was running back in the 70’s and 80’s,” he told them as Han paused to sip his coffee.

“Are you sure, kid?” Lando asked.

Luke pulled out his laptop and opened a few files to show them. There was no denying the similarities. The only difference was they actually found a body. 

The further they tried to dig into First Order, the deeper the rabbit hole. Now that Luke was involved, it felt like there was no turning back. He was on a mission to redeemed the deceased father he never knew. Han, however, felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. His chief was telling him to drop the case while Luke was adamant that he should keep going. Leia didn’t want to get involved seeing that they were already having enough problems at home with Han missing out on Ben’s past cello recital. Lando, however, saw the toll it was taking on his partner and told him to go home early that night.

“Be with your kid and wife, Solo,” he winked, “I’ll finish up the paperwork.”

“You’re a life saver, Lando,” Han said as he hugged him, “Coffee is on me tomorrow and I won’t take no for an answer.”

“See you in the morning,” were his last words.

As Han and Leia were getting ready for bed that rainy night, the landline rung. Ben got to it before Han did.

“It’s Chief Antilles,” his son said as he handed him the phone. He had a bad feeling about this.

He took his car and drove to the crime scene just outside of Bronx where Lando’s body was being bagged.

“I want to see him,” Han insisted as his brothers in blue told him to go home.

When he was at the precinct the next day, he saw his friend laying on the examiner’s table. Two gunshots to the head and one to the chest, only one killed him, the others were deliberate. Han tried not to let the tears fall as he mourned the lost of his friend. He had no other family, no wife, no kids, many would say he was married to the force, but he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to die alone. He wanted the case. He had to seek the justice for his friend. He knew Lando would have done the same for him.

Now, 13 years have past. In that time he had lost so much. His precinct tried to find help for Han, but he wouldn’t take it. He was let go from the force after he had let cases pile up. Leia had filed for separation from him, taking their son with her. He missed birthdays, holidays, baseball games, recitals, child support payments, and many other things to find the justice for his fallen friend. He was determine that Lando’s death was connected the case that had been working about the First Order. He had Luke on his side as he funded his investigation while he tracked down cheating husbands on the side. The only problem was he found more questions than answers.

However, when he found out that the warehouse of where it all began was being used again, he knew he had something. Needing backup, he called on Ben to place his job on the line and help him break into the warehouse. This time, the warehouse wasn’t wiped clean. There were blood splatters on the wall, trash bags that were labeled, and other lab equipment. With his camera ready, he scoped the area to find all sorts of thing. More live rats, but they looked different, deformed, almost decaying. He had wondered if it was a new drug the First Order was testing out. As he went further in, he found a walk-in freezer that wasn’t there before. Opening it, he found a few human bodies hanging for meat hooks. Each body had a label on it, two letters and a series of numbers as if it were a barcode.  He snapped as many pictures as he did before slamming the door shut. This was good. This was really good. Han felt like he had hit the jackpot.

When he went to show his son, he found more police officers wait for him with their guns pointed at him and Ben in handcuffs. The look of betrayal in his son’s eyes haunted him. Never had he been more ashamed. He tried to apologize, but Ben wouldn’t hear it, blocking his number and moving to another state to be far away from him.

Now, Han sat outside his RV with his bullmastiff, Chewie, laying at his feet, nibbling on a cow bone. He sipped on his Corona as he watched the fire slowly burn out in his grill. He came to Florida to make things right with his son. Too long had he allowed Lando’s death consume, that he forgot what was truly important. Leia had told him to just give him some time, but Han knew in his gut if he didn’t try, he might lose his son forever. He already missed him becoming a man, he was not going to miss out anything also. Tomorrow, he was going to find Ben and make things right.

He let out a sigh as he was about to turn in for the night. Getting up for his lawn chair, he placed a cover over his grill to snuff out the fire as Chewie’s ears perk. When his dog began to growl, he was pretty sure he must have heard some squirrel or raccoon. He called his dog to him, but Chewie didn’t move, standing as he start barking.

“Chewie, come on,” Han hissed, “You start making noise and the neighbors will complain.”

Then there was a rustle that couldn’t be ignored from the tall grass in front of them. Han turned as the rustle seemed to be too loud for just a woodland creature.

“Is someone there?!” Han called out to the grass as Chewie continued to growl, “Stop that, Chewie.”

Han went to the RV to retrieve a flashlight and a gun before heading back outside. He shown the flashlight towards the grass with his gun pointed at the ground.

“Hello!” he tried one more time, “Is someone there?”

From the distance, the figure looked like a fully grown man, but the way he walked was unnatural. It was almost like his right leg was broken as he slowly ambled towards the old PI. The man dawned an orange jumpsuit as if he had escaped from a prison, but was faded and dirty. His skin was so pale, it almost looked blue. His head as cocked to right as if it was broken as well. The front of his jumpsuit where his chest was was covered in dry blood and around his mouth. Han pointed his gun at the man.

“Freeze! Don’t come any closer!”

Chewie began barking again, stepping in front of his master as if ready to fight this creep.

“I’m warning you!” Han shouted, “I will shoot you! Stop!”

The man let out a gurgling sound from the back of his throat as he stopped and looked at Han. There was something about the glint in that man’s eyes that made Han’s blood run cold. It was almost predatory. Everything about this man seemed unnatural. Then he charged at him, making Han fire a couple of shots straight through the man’s chest and head. He sent Chewie into the RV as he went to investigate the body. He didn’t know how he was going to explain this to the police when he turned himself in. He killed an unarmed man in selfdefense. Somehow, he wasn’t entirely sure how well that would hold up in court and was sure some silver tongue lawyer would find a way for him to go to jail for life. Han looked over his dead victim with his flashlight. Out of an old habit, he pulled out a pair of gloves to get a closer look. As he crouched down, he found that his victim did have a broke neck as part of the shoulder bone was stick out from his right side. When he touched the skin, he found it to be clammy and cold. Upon looking at where he shot him, he did find blood, but it was almost black compared to normal blood. He rolled up the pant leg where he limped and found that that bone was broken too. He continued to look over the body finding puncture marks on his left arm from needles. Then, he saw it. The insignia that still burned into the back of his mind. It had been burned into this man’s right under arm as if he was an indicator of property.

He ran back to his RV and grabbed a couple of trash bags. He wrapped the body as best he could before bringing it inside. He packed everything up he had outside and brought Chewie to his front seat. He turned on the engine and pulled out his phone.

“Directions to Polk City Police Department,” he said.

“Okay,” Siri said, “I found directions to Polk City Police Department. You are 3 hours and 15 minutes away. Traffic normal.”

‘Perfect,’ Han thought and started driving.

**~*~**

 

Rey tossed the softball again the right side of the house where she had taped a cardboard square to practice her pitching. It was humiliating handing her phone and laptop over to her dad. She hadn’t even had a chance to clear the history of some of the explicit videos she had found or the fiction as well. She was sure, if he did find it, that she would have a lot of explaining to do. Or worst, he might take a fist to Officer Solo’s face.

“Nice pitch,” spoke a deep voice as she turned to find the officer of her dreams standing in her yard. He offered her a half smile as he walked over.

“What… What are you doing here, Officer Solo?” she asked as she went to retrieve her ball, trying not to seem so flustered.

“Just was in the neighborhood,” he answered, “Figured I see how my little lawbreaker is holding up.”

“Most officers don’t do house calls.”

“Parol officers do.”

“Last I checked you worked for the city,” Rey smirked as she tossed the ball into her mitt, “and I’ve never been to prison.”

“Sheriff Holdo just wants us to check up on the teens that were at that party last week,” he explained as he crossed his arms over his chest, reminding her of the muscle that was under that khaki, “Your house just happened to be part of my section.”

“Sure you didn’t beg to see me?” Rey teased as she turned back to pitch, “It seems like no matter where I go, you’re at least ten steps behind me.”

“Maybe I have good intentions.”

“Most men don’t when they’re following around helpless girls.” There was an awkward pause after her bold statement. She had meant for it to be playful, but perhaps it hit too close to home for him

“I used to play baseball, you know,” he said as she snapped the ball, “You have a catcher’s mitt?”

“Wouldn’t you be wasting tax payers’ money, Officer?” she asked as she went to get her ball.

“I’m not really on the clock yet.”

Rey turned to find him undoing the first couple of button his shirt to reveal the white undershirt underneath. She started to wondered if he had hair on his chest like her dad or if he shaved it like his face. She shook her hand and ran over to the garage to grab a spare glove.

“It’s not a catcher’s mitt,” she said as she tossed it to him.

“It’ll do,” he smiled as he slipped over his hand, “A little tight though.”

“I don’t know if you noticed, but you do have big hands,” Rey teased as she watched him squat.

“Come on, Dameron,” he punched the glove before opening the glove towards her, “Give me your best shot.”

Rey tried not to seem too excited. She can’t remember the last time she had played catch with someone. When she had started her softball career, she constantly drag Poe or Finn outside after school to practice her pitching. Then as time got closer and closer to graduation, Poe spent more and more time at the auto shop to save money for their college fund and Finn would spend time with his friends or working at the local grocery store. Unlike her, his girlfriend knew not to stalk him when he was working. Getting Paige or Kaydel to practice outside of practice was like pulling teeth. They didn’t want to get any better if they were already good. So, here she was in her backyard with Officer Solo ready for the pitch. She eyed the glove as his flapped it open a few times. 

“Come on, Rey,” he called, “Just right down the middle.”

She toed the dirt under her as she raised her hands in position. She liked the little lopsided smirk he had on his face. She wondered what he might have looked like at her age, but there was no time to ponder that. She angled her right foot behind as she got ready for the wind up. Over her head and around her arm swung as she took a step forward and snapped her wrist. She aimed too much to the right the first but with Ben’s wing span, he was able to catch it. 

“Try again,” he said as he tossed it back and adjusted his position.

“How long before you start?” Rey asked as she caught the ball.

“Long enough.” She could probably think of other things that were long enough. 

With another snap, her aim was too high. Next snap was the same. The next one was on purpose as he fell backwards, making her giggle and watch him chase after it. When he tossed it back, Rey was impressed by his form as if he were a pro. 

“What position did you play?” she asked as he stretched his knees.

“Center field,” Ben replied as he squatted again, “You?”

“Catcher,” she smirked, “I just do this to relieve stress.”

After a few more tosses, Ben got up and dusted himself off. He afforded a high five and told she would make a great pitcher if she ever changed spots on the team. Rey smiled up at him as she returned the five. His hand clashed around hers in that moment, nearly engulfing her hand. Electricity pulsed through her veins as she met his beautiful eyes. Those breathtaking eyes that could spark a thousand matches and set any heart aflame. She watched them shift over her face, making her wonder what he must think of her. She secretly hoped that made he was up late at night, desperate for sleep, but could only find relief by pretending she was there in his bed. She wondered if he would even fit in her hand. Then his phone went off. He cleared his throat and dropped her hand before giving her back the glove.

“This is Solo,” he said in the phone, “What? Just call IT… Yeah… Snap… Snap just… The number… Snap… No, don’t hand the phone to Artoo…” He turned to Rey and mouthed “Sorry,” before making his way back to his car. 

Rey watched as he pulled away and drove off with a smile on her face. She rubbed the glove he hand as she beamed from ear to ear. He came to check her and even stayed to play catch. Rey spun in a circle as she silently cheered. This was a small victory, but a victory never-the-less.

 

**~*~**

 

Ben preferred office days at the police department over patrol days. Being in a small town, office days tended to be more frequent than when he was in Atlanta. Office days meant closing cases, checking up on city complaints, and filing away old reports. Today, Ben was working on getting a hold of IT in Polk county office so they could fix the virus that had frozen the one share computer. He had been on hold with 30 minutes when Officer Rosetta came over to check on him.

“How’s it going, Solo?” she asked as she leaned seductively over the desk, purposely pushing her breast together.  Her uniform was unbuttoned 3 too many buttons, making her out of dress code as Ben tucked that away to bring up with Sheriff Holdo later today.

“Still hear _Girl from Ipanema_ ,” he said as he tried turning off and on the computer again.

“Wow,” Snap chuckled from his desk as he picked his nails with his pocket knife, “I would have given up after the first 3 minutes.”

“Well, we can’t get anything done if this doesn’t work,” Ben responded, groaning under his breath when the blue screen popped up.

“Maybe it was Snap looking up those pirated movies again.” Riva sneered as the chubby man laughed.

“Maybe it was you trying to hack into the personal files again. If you want Ben’s number, just ask him?”

“Maybe you were looking up porn?” she snapped back.

“Hey, you swear you wouldn’t mention that!”

“Will y’all quiet down!” Artoo yelled for the jail cell, “Some of us are trying to sleep!”

“Sorry,” Snap replied nervously and went back to picking his nails.

Sheriff Holdo appeared from her office with her coffee mug in hand to clean. 

“What’s all the ruckus about?” she asked as she walked over to the sink. 

“Just trying to get a hold of IT,” Ben mumbles as he heard _Drops of Jupiter_ play again for the 3rd time. He might be going insane at this point. 

“It’s Snap’s fault,” Riva pointed, “He’s been looking at pornography on a work computer.”

“It was one time. A buddy of mine sent me a link,” he explained, “I didn’t realize it was gay porno.”

“What? Did _Weiner Gate_ not give it away?” Holdo asked with a straight face as Ben bit back his smile. If there was one that she was good at, it was delivering a joke with a straight face that made the person more confuse and too horrified to answer.

“I mean... it wasn’t called that,” Snap said as his cheeks colored.

“So, you just open all hyperlinks that are sent to you?” she teased as placed her mug on the dish rack, “You know that’s how scammers get you these days. Not everyone is some rich prince from Zimbabwe, you know?” 

The door to the police station dinged as Poe Dameron walked in auto jumpsuit. He wished everyone a good morning before requesting to talk to Sheriff Holdo in her office. Once again the door was closed as Officer Rosetta and Officer Wexley got up to listen. 

“Could you not?” Ben hissed at them as an automative message told him his number in the virtual queue and reminded on how important his call was.

“Which do you think he’s going to talk about this time?” Snap asked. 

“Obviously it’s Rey,” Riva whispered, “He only talks about her when he wants to talk privately with Ami. She’s on a slipper slope that one. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up robbing bank or becoming a prostitute.”

Ben hung up after that point and slammed his fist on the computer before it finally booted up normally, making all the officers jump.

“That’s it,” Artoo grumbled as he left his jail cell, “I’m going to lunch.”

“It’s only 10,” Snap said.

“Like you care! I only have 10 days left till I retire!” the old man shouted as he left the department. 

Ben started a virus scan on the piece of junk before getting up to get a cup of coffee.

“Rosetta, could you do me a favor? Go to Frankie’s and get me a ham sub. Light on the mayo, pickle on the side and Snap, these files need to run to downtown today by noon,” he said as he nodded at the stack of manila folders on his desk.

“Sure,” Riva answered with a smile, ready to do anything for him. She grabbed her keys and was out of the door before he could blink.

“Why can’t you do that?” Snap asked as he looked over the large stack.

“I’m fixing the computer you broke,” he simply put it as he sipped his coffee. 

Snap grumbled under his breath as he grabbed his hat before heading out soon after. Ben took a deep breath before looking at the closed after door. He weighed his options. He could either listen to a concern father pleading his case about his kids and see if there was anything he could do to help or get caught doing that and have to make up so excuse as to why he was.

He chugged the rest of his coffee before approaching the door. Keeping his ear close, he listened to the muffled voices.

“I just don’t know what to do anymore, Ami,” the father sighed, “It’s not like she’s a bad kid, but Rey has just been so different since that new guy of yours arrested her. She’s attacking out more, staying out past curfew, and this party, drug bust thing. It’s like she’s doing this for attention. I just… I need help.”

“It’s funny you should say that, because the amount of incidents we’ve been seeing in women have increased since Officer Solo came to town,” she laughed, “Oh, you should have seen Mrs. Klark in here the other day. She tried to cop a feel when Ben put in the cell before her husband came to get her.”

“You… you think it’s a crush? Like she likes that guy? But he’s gotta at least be 20 years older than her.” Ben scoffed at that comment.

“He's only 28, Poe. He doesn't look that old," Sheriff Holdo teased, "Look, don’t think too much into it. These things happen. Don’t you remember that time when I was the new officer and you tried get me to pull you over? You must have been going 90 in a 15 and you had said something like, ‘if you arrest me, will you it against me?’”

There was silence for a beat before there was shuffling of a chair. They were saying to goodbyes as Ben took strides to put himself back at the desk with ancient tech. There was still another hour left for the scan to complete as Poe left the office. He approached the desk with his hands in his pockets as Ben looked up at him.

“Can I help you, Mr. Dameron?” Ben asked as he tried to act calm and cool, despite his heart was racing.

“Yeah, just want to thank you for looking out for my daughter,” he said with a nod, “You know how kids are when they get to that age when they think they’re grown they can do whatever they want.”

Ben chuckled as he leaned back in his chair, relaxing more, but the father’s serious expression never changed as he leaned over the desk. His voice dropped lower as he whispered his warning.

“But if you ever try to take advantage of my daughter, I will rip your testicles and shove them down your throat. Got it?”

 

**~*~**

 

Two lab workers cracked jokes as they headed down to “the dungeon”. It was jokingly called “the dungeon,” because of the monsters the First Order was keeping in the basement. With one flick of the lights, rows and rows of cages where their experiments were being kept. Masks on to cover the foul scent of rotting flesh, the lab workers heading over to cage number 825 when FN 2187 was being kept. They ready the vials as well as the needle to take samples from their most successful test subject, the other subjects growled as they walked passed, some of them charging the pair and shaking the metal that contained them. When they approached number 825, they had noticed the cage was open and a blood path followed to an emergency exit. Panicked ensued when they found one of their interns remains at the exit door. One rushed to a phone to call Dr. Hux as the other went to see if any other subjects were missing.

“Dr. Hux, we have a situation.”

In total, 10 out of 4,095 had escaped. The red head clinched his fist as he sent handlers out to find them. They couldn’t have gotten that far. As soon as they were caught, there would be a full on investigation.

He turned to Dr. Phasma.

“Call a meeting with the staff,” he said cooly, “and bring Herman with you. I think it’s time to remind them of their place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for a new chapter. Zombies are on the loose. Let's see if Hux can get them all. Luckily it's not that many. *wink* Thanks guys for over 600 hits. Wow and like 40 kudos too. I can't believe how many of you are enjoying this. Thanks to T1mb3rfoxr33k_Shylo3, reyloaddict55, Katie716, ZiaLisa, uh_no_thanks and AlbaStarGrazer for your amazing comments. It really helps me a lot knowing there are those out there that are really enjoying this story. There will possible be a time jump once the zombies are on the loose, but not by much. Thanks again everyone. This is a new thing for me and I'm glad you all like it so much.


	6. Dead Men Tell No Tales

Prisoner FN2187 didn’t remember why he was sent to prison. All he knew is that his beautiful wife, Linda, and his two baby girls were waiting for him to come home. So, as soon as he broke out, he just walked, ambling through woods, fields and along highways. He was first going to clean up his act for whatever it was that he did. He was going to ask to move back in and let them rebuild their marriage. He would even go to the marriage counselor she had been wanting to see. Linda would be so proud to see the change in him that she would never want to leave. He would even overlook her sister living with them until he was back on his feet. Life for prisoner FN2187 was going to be better now that he was out. He only stopped a hand full of times to eat every once in a while, but was determine to get home.

Once he was over the hill, he saw the sign for Pulaski. He breathed a sigh of relief, because he knew he was almost there. The morning was still as he walked through the town. None of the local shops open. The sun was barely peeking out of the sky as he walked. He knew this town like it was the back of his hand. He was only a few blocks from their home. His kids would just be getting up as Linda would be making breakfast. Perhaps she’s frying up some bacon as Lizzie is helping by feeding Gracie. Lizzie was always such a good big sister. 

He ambled down the neighborhood, passing neighbors that were just starting their days. He acknowledged Mr. Hedges, who seemed surprised to see him. He had always said the prisoner would never amount to anything. 

Then he stopped. There was a black Honda CRV parked in his driveway. He didn’t own this car, neither did his wife, but he knew someone who did. He went around back, where the spare key was kept from his long nights of drinking. He unlocked the door and walked into the kitchen. Everything was still the same. The appliances were new and walls had been painted a brighter yellow. As he walked through it towards the doorway, his hand touched the little etch markings of his girls. An age was written by each marking, but he couldn’t make it out. His vision blurred the longer he stared and chose to continue walking. He found the steps that led to the bedroom upstairs. He found it hard to walk as his knees hurt slightly to bend, so he leaned on the railing. Slowly he climb, his chest feeling heavy with each strand. Hills were on thing, but these stairs were truly going to be the death of him. When he got to the top, he took his time to catch his breath. In a small table in front of him, Linda liked to keep family photos on it. The last photo he remembered taking was during Christmas when his dad played Santa for the girls. 

He looked at the photos on the table and his girls... they weren’t girls anymore... Lizzie looked like she was 16 and Gracie had to be 8 or 9 in the school photos he saw. Lizzie had his brown curls and his dull, brown eyes. Gracie looked more like her mom. The both did in the face their built. Then he saw a boy with dark skin and pale eyes in a photo next to his girls. He didn’t recognized this boy who seemed to be in mid laugh as the photographer took this photo. He reached to touch the photo before his ears picked up on some soft cooing from the room on his right. The prisoner walked over to the room and lightly pushed open the door. There he found himself entering a room filled with powdery blue things. He walked over the crib to find the dark skin boy laying on his back, kicking the blanket he had covering him off. 

Prisoner FN2187 cocked his head to the side as he stared at the child. The babe stared back, blinked before smiling and giggling at him as he reached a hand out to him. The prisoner slowly reach a hand in and stopped when he heard a scream behind him. 

“Carson! Carson!” he heard Linda cry out as he slowly turned his head. Something heavy hit the back of his head and he fell to the floor. He struggled to find his balance as he saw the feet of his wife go to the crib and then out the door. 

“Carson! Carson!” she shouted.

“What’s going on?” he heard Gracie ask.

“Stay in your room and lock the door. Call the police, but don’t come out. No matter what,” Linda ordered as FN2187 finally found footing. _That cheating bitch... Carson... of all the people... she chose the officer that locked him up..._

“BbbbiiiittttccccchhHHHH...” he growled and staggered out of the room. He was angry, so angry. That son of a bitch had one thing coming for him. Spinning a story that he was some blood thirsty brute. The officer didn’t know half the story. It wasn’t his gun. He was paid off by his boss to put him behind bars. 

“LLLllliiinnnndddaaaAAAA!!!” FN2187 banged his fists on the locked door. One shot was shot at his chest, another one grazed his shoulder and the last one at his thigh making him more angry. This guy couldn’t even shoot properly and he was going to protect HIS family?!?

He roared as he slammed his body into the weakened door and charged at the large black man blocking his wife. His teeth sank into his neck as he torn into his skin. Linda screamed behind them as FN2187 bit into Carson chunky face, chewing his eye with a loud pop. Oh... he tasted like the other food he had on his journey, but sweeter than any candy or juice he had ever had. He wanted more of Carson, ripping out him chest and devouring as much as he could till his hunger was satisfied and his anger subsided. When he looked over his mess, there was hardly anything left of the forgotten officer. Linda and the kids must have left a while ago, because they were no where to be found. 

He made his way to the kitchen, opened the fridge to find a Budweiser beer chilling. He took the beer to the courter, knocked it opened and took a long swig. He ambled back to the living room and sat on the worn in Lazy-Boy. He found the control to turn on the TV. He relaxed as he watched the LSU/Auburn game. 

It was good to be home.

 

**~*~**

 

**Five days before...**

Ben honestly couldn’t believe the sheriff as well as his fellow officers were even listening or giving Han Solo the time of day to tell his story.   
 ****

“So, to conclude,” the old man sighed as Chewie sat by Ben with his head in his lap, “I have a dead body in my RV.”

Snap did a spit take as Riva stared with her mouth opened. Artoo just started chuckling as Sheriff Holdo cleared her throat. 

“And you brought this here, because?” she asked. 

“Oh, because Ben knows all about the First Order Enterprise,” Han explained as he pulled out his phone to show her the photos he took of the body, “See that insignia? First Order logo. They use it on everything.”

“What’s the numbers here?” Sheriff Holdo asked as she handed the phone over to Ben, “XF8533? On the jumpsuit, what does that mean?”

“Beats me,” he scoffed as he gave the photo back to his dad, “Last time I was involved in a case like this, it costed me my job.”

Ben gave his old man a sour look before petting the large mastiff’s head.

“Look, I’ll admit, I went a little overboard on this investigation, all right?” Han started, “Imagine being with someone thrown in the mix with someone completely new, but is your perfect fit. Your Uncle Lando was that to me, Ben. We did almost everything together and it kills me that we didn’t just file that case away sooner. Maybe things would have been different, but now I have something! Truly something that will make your heads spin,” he pointed behind, “Look, just give me a second. I’ll grab the body and…”

“You should have called the police in your area, Dad!” Ben snapped, “This isn’t our jurisdiction! You traveled 3 hours just to tell us an outlandish story?! What if a state trooper pulled you over? How would you explain the body to them?”

“Ben… please,” Han begged, ”I’m trying to make this right.”

He turned to sheriff to plead his case once more.

“Just give me 15 minutes and I’ll have you all convinced,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s up to me to decide, Mr. Solo,” she answered as she placed a hand on Ben’s shoulder, “I rely on what my team thinks.”

Ben looked up at her as she nodded at him. He turned his father, his hand on his hips as he softly plead with his hazel eyes. Ben could tell he was desperate to have him see his side. Ben sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You get 10 minutes,” he answered, “Pull the RV around back. Snap, help him with the body. Riva, Artoo let’s prep one of these desk as an examiner’s table.”

 

**~*~**

 

Mr. Snoke waited in his office as the young, red head doctor walked in.  
 ****

“I remembered when your father first worked for me, Armitage,” he began as Dr. Hux took his seat, “He was a visionary. He head drive to find a cure. A man ahead of his time if you could say.”

Dr. Hux felt nervous with the way Mr. Snoke smirked. 

“So, tell me,” he purred as he reached for his bourbon, “have you found all of the missing test subjects?”

“Two were found outside of the building, another was found off the highway,” Dr. Hux explained, “We found the remains of one that was hit by a semi truck. 3 more were found in Georgia.”

“That’s only 7, Armitage,” Mr. Snoke continued as he sipped his drink, “You’re missing 3 more.”

“We’re still looking, sir...” The CEO threw his glass at his head, making him duck as it hit the floor and shattered.

“You idiot! Do you realize what will happen if someone finds them?! We are under a microscope,” he growled, “Shareholders are pulling out every second these things are wandering.”

“We are doing everything we can,” Dr. Hux explained.

“Obviously, it is not enough,” Mr. Snoke challenged, “Your father died for the cooperation, boy. I doubt you would do the same.”

Dr. Hux’s right eye twitched as he was dismissed. He hated being compared to his father or being reminded that that was the only reason he was even there to begin with. As he left, he saw Mr. Snoke’s lunch was being ready to wheel in. His new assistant must have forgotten something, because the cart was left just outside the office. Looking around, he pulled a powdery substance from his pocket and poured it into Mr. Snoke’s tea. He stirred it in with his finger before wiping it off with a handkerchief he had. As he walked to the elevator, he tossed the bag into the secretary’s bin as he wished her a good night. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had killed their boss, but it would be the first time someone had brought him back to life.

 

**~*~**

 

“On the count of 3,” Ben said as they ready to lift the body to the combined desk.

“Like on 3, 3? 3, go?” Snap asked.

“Just on 3, Wexley,” Riva snapped.

“Can we just go already?” Artoo griped, “Some of us ain’t as young you all.”

“Okay, just lift this sucker,” Holdo said and the officers did that.

Taking Snap’s knife, Ben cut away the black bags covering the body and everyone gagged at the oder.

“Ugh… gross…”

“You traveled 3 hours with that thing?”

“Listen, it was an emergency,” Han coughed, “Besides, he was in the bag the whole time.”

Ben looked over the bullet wounds as well as the other broken parts of the man. In the florescent light of the station, he could see that this man was not just dead, but decaying as well. Barely touching the man’s ear, it fell off in his hand, and he jumped back, dropping the ear in the process.

“Are you sure this man was walk towards?” Ben asked as he went to retrieve the ear before Chewie ate it, “Because he seems to be a lot more dead than you think.”

“He did,” Han insisted as he looked over the body and then the ear in his son’s ear. Now that he was seeing the man in a better light, he could tell he wasn’t truly living, but he knew what he saw early this morning.

“Positive?” He asked one more time as his father nodded. 

“Umm... there were quite a bit of beer cans in the RV, Ben,” Snap spoke up.

Ben turned back at his father with furrowed brow, glaring his disapproval at him. 

“So, I had a couple of dreams before this happened,” Han defended, “it doesn’t change the fact I saw what I saw, Ben.”

“Unbelievable,” he groaned as he grabbed his phone and began dialing.

“What are you doing now?” Riva asked. 

“I’m calling county to pick up the body and arrested him,” he pointed at Han, “Get him to one of the holding cells.”

Artoo was glad to follow those orders as Ben waited to be patched through.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Han pleaded as the cell door was locked behind him, “I know it looks bad, but look under his nails, swab any part of him and you’ll see this man has never been underground.”

Sheriff Holdo continued to look over the body as Ben talked to county. Putting on a pair of gloves and undressing the body, she took the knife and began to cut open the body.

“Yes, thank you,” Ben said as he got off the phone and turned in horror, “What are you doing? You’re not licensed for that.”

“I used to be an examiner back in the day, Solo,” Sheriff Holdo replied as she peeled back the skin, “Did you think I’ve only ever lived in Polk?”

The officers gagged over the smell the body produced as Holdo found it easy to break off the rib cage with her hands.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he continued, as Snap ran to the nearest bathroom vomit and Artoo and Riva stepped outside get some fresh air.

“This man’s organs are still intact. Depending on when this man had died, wouldn’t someone had checked these for time of death?”

Ben pulled out a handkerchief to cover his nose and looked over the man’s insides. Everything was still there, but slowly shriveling away.

“I would say this man has been dead at least 6 months,” the sheriff continued, “If anything, there just might be something unnatural here.”

 

**~*~**

 

**1 week after…**

Rey was gathered into the gymnasium with the other students as the officers of Polk City, the mayor and other city officials wanted to say something. She saw Officer Solo at the door as she and dipped back to say hi.

“So, what is this all about?” she asked with smile.

“Just something standard,” he answered and nodded towards the bleachers, “I think your friends want you.”

“Oh, they can wait,” she giggled as she bit her lip. Ben looked more serious than normal, but she figured she’d give it shot. “I’ve been staying out of trouble, recently. I even got my license,” she said as she dug out her wallet to show him. He smiled a little as he looked at the official card.

“Too bad,” he said, “I’m going to miss dinging you for that.”

She blushed at the way his stared, warming her heart as he leaned into her ear to whisper something.

“Meet with me after this,” he said, “Please.”

She nodded before making her way over to her friends. The mayor stood at the microphone, orange as ever as he smiled.

“Hello children,” he nervously said, “Something of great precedence has been brought to our attention recently. You may have been hearing about these random animal attacks on the news lately. Well, they are not animal attacks. They are man vs. man attacks. Something unnatural has happened upon our American soil, but luckily it has only happened in the northern part of Florida, Georgia, and central Tennessee. For now, the government has issued a state wide quarantine on these three states until they can eradicate this problem. Military personal will be stationed in our town as well as doctors from the best hospitals. Now, there is no need to panic, but they want to do everything they can to keep this problem from spreading. All they ask is for your full cooperation.”

Rey found Officer Solo behind the gymnasium, looking around as if to make sure she wasn’t followed.

“What is this all about?”

“The city is going on lock down for a while,” he said.

“What?”

“A dead body was found outside of our district. After county did some tests, they found a ton of toxins as well as other unreadable materials,” he explained, “There have been reports in Georgia of these living dead just wandering in small towns and only attacking when agitated. They it’s nothing serious, but you didn’t see the body we saw.”

“There was one in Polk?”

“One brought to Polk, but none so far here,” he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, “Rey, no matter what happens, you need to get your family prepared for the worst. Get as much supplies as you, make a weapon if you have to.”

“What… what?”

“When shit hits the fan, you find me, and I’ll keep you safe.”

Then he leaned in and kissed her forehead, making her gasp at the sudden contact. As he left, she watched him walk off before slowly sinking to the ground. Slowly her world was getting turned upside. Were they really in that much danger?

The answer she would soon find out.

 

**~*~**

 

Dr. Mitaka pulled into the warehouse in a large black truck. FN2187 was the last found. The handlers came to collect him as the young doctor walked to Dr. Phasma’s office. When he entered, he found Dr. Hux in there as well with a bottle of champagne that had been freshly popped.

“Oh Dopheld, darling, you’re here,” she giggled as Dr. Hux poured a glass.

“FN2187 is secured, sir,” he said as the tall doctor handed him a glass.

“Did you read the papers?” Dr. Hux asked as he sat on Dr. Phasma’s desk, “3 states are under quarantined. Nothing goes in and nothing goes out. Oh, and guess what? Florida is one of them.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t quite follow.”

“Your team did shit, Dopheld,” Dr. Phasma said as she raised from her seat, “but what can you do? It’s so hard to find good help these days.”

“But we found all the experiments,” he defended. 

“Oh ho ho… Dopheld, relax,” Dr. Hux said, “We’re not mad. In fact, this is good news for us, because we’re closing up shop here. We’re moving up north.”

“We are?”

“Well not all of us,” the red head smirked as he finished his drink, “Someone has to stay behind and make sure these test subjects don’t escape.”

“What? No… no… Armitage, you can’t be serious?”

“It was your team who were in charge of the enclosures. Your team who were supposed to keep the cages locked. And your team who failed to finish the job,” Dr. Hux said darkly as he approached the little man, “You failed, now you have to clean up your mess.”

“Gwen, please say something,” Dr. Mitaka begged.

The tall woman stood up from where she sat. Her heels clicked as she approached him. She leaned down and kissed him full on the lips. When she released him, she nodded at Dr. Hux to make their leave. When Dr. Mitaka tried to followed, she had locked the door behind her with no way on him unlocking from his side.

“There is a key and gun in the office somewhere,” she said, “Good luck trying to find it, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, 6 chapters in and over 800 hits. What a time to be alive? I want to thank everyone who has been reading this story and for your patiences on waiting for the zombies to show up. Hooray! Now it can be an official zombie story. I want to focus small scale. I'm pretty sure eventually our characters will move up into Georgia or will stick it out in Polk City, but we'll see. Thank you to T1mb3rforcr33k_Shylo3, nyrcella, and AlbaStarGazer for your comments in the last chapter. To strangecurrencies, I think I need to address the ages of our characters.
> 
> Ben Solo: 28  
> Rey: 17  
> Finn: 17  
> Paige: 18  
> Kaydel: 17  
> Rose: 16  
> Sheriff Holdo: 52  
> Poe: 40  
> Han Solo: 70  
> Artoo: 75  
> Riva: 35  
> Snap: 35
> 
> And... I think that's everyone... Until next time.


	7. Quarantine

**1 day in quarantine…**

Ben didn’t like needles, but the nurse was really nice as she drew his blood. She had a pretty smile as she told him over and over again to keep squeezing the stress ball. Everyone in town was getting the blood drawn as the military started setting up perimeters. Sergeant Stonewall was his name. He was the man in charge of the section.   
****

“If all goes well, we’ll be in and out of here in a week,” he had told Sheriff Holdo, but Ben had a bad feeling about this, much like his dad.

“Something just doesn’t feel right,” Ben had whispered to his sheriff, “The army being means there has to be something more.”

“Keep an ear to the ground, Solo,” was all she had told him.

“All done,” the nurse said as she packed away the last of the vails, “We’ll be running some test, but I’m sure everything is fine.”

Snap tried to get her number has she was leaving, but was unsuccessful.

“So what is the word, boss?” Artoo asked as the officers gathered around.

“We wait it out,” she said, “Follow orders and try not to do anything suspicious.”

“Ha… try telling that to Solo,” Snap laughed as Ben turned to him, “Not you, your dad.”

“Can you keep an eye on him, Solo? Make sure he doesn’t ruffle any feathers?” the sheriff asked.

“I can try, but I don’t think it would do anyone good.”

“Well, so far nothing bad has happened,” she said as she walked to her office, “For all we know, it might be nothing at all.” 

 

**~*~**

 

**1 month in quarantine…**

“Finn, we really shouldn’t be doing this,” Rey whispered as her, Finn, Rose, Paige, Kaydel, and Kit stood outside of Frankie’s. They had snuck out passed curfew, because they were bored and hungry.  
****

“Come on, little sis,” Kit chuckled as he picked the lock to the back door, “Frankie would never know. Besides, I’m his best chef.”

The door swung open as one by one filed in. Rose was giggled as she took Finn’s hand while Paige gagged. Her boyfriend moved over a week ago after his parents got government permission that they weren’t going to be a threat to the nation. Slowly people started leaving Polk City. Their weren’t many kids left in this town as classrooms seemed to get smaller and smaller. In Rey’s Physics class there used to be 15 students, now there was only 5, which mean more one on one’s with the teacher. Still, Rey felt it in her bones that this was more than just a simple quarantines. The ones that were able to leave, had family in other parts of the country or knew someone who knew someone else to get them out. She feared the day either Paige or Kaydel would leave her, but they assured her they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

She even paid more visits to the police station after school to do some volunteer work. With Officer Rosetta gone and all after school activities postponed, they didn’t have anyone to fill her place and she had nothing better to do. So, Rey acted as a secretary to the officers, filling coffee mugs, filing reports, calling people who had paid their parking tickets, and eyeing Officer Ben Solo from time to time as he furrowed his brow at the one computer they had. It made her happy to know his first name now. Ever since his little kiss, she felt the need to deepen their relationship. Maybe when this was all over, they could try and be a real life couple. One that holds hands, shares secrets, and maybe even wake up next to each other. The last one always made her blush whenever she thought too long about it and more so when Ben caught her staring too long. Still, the two would take time from the “busy” afternoons the throw around a ball in the back of the station. She learned loads about him. She learned about his schooling, why he became a police officer, his favorite ice cream and in turned he learned some things about her like when she picked up softball, how she became friends with Kaydel and Paige, and other things.

It was more relaxing to be around him in the office where he wasn’t super serious. In light of the quarantine, he seemed to make the most out of it. Or at least, try to make her not think of the worst. 

His father, Han, would often come in too. He would chat her up, trading stories about his time of the force, and even let her walk Chewie. He was very impressed with her father’s restoration work as he looked over the blue Volkswagen. She saw Han as more of the grandfather she never had. The retired police man who moved to Florida to get away from it all, but he would constantly warn her about what was coming.

 _“With all these military men here,”_ he had said one even after they just finished eating _, “they know something is not right.”_

Which is why Rey had been so adamant about following the rules.

  * No one leaves the radius of the city unless they have written consent or have authorization
  * Curfew is at 2100 hours. Lights out at 2200 hours. No one leaves until 700 hours.
  * Regularly testing is done every other week. Those selected must participate.
  * Those that are found effect by this virus, must release all rights and must cooperate with our specialists.



Rey had only known of a few who had been sent off, but none of they ever came back.

So, Kit fired up the grill and the fryer as Kaydel started gathering the patties and condiments. Rey sat on a box of mayonnaise as Finn went to the front to find the beer.

“Isn’t this fun?” Rose chirped as she sat next to Rey, “When was the last time you snuck out?”

“Probably when that party happened around Homecoming,” she admitted.

“Wow,” Rose smiled, “That’s so unlike you. Usually you’re the one who causes the most trouble.”

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?”

“I mean, you did date Bala-Tik.”

“Geezus, Rose,” Paige groan, “Your definition of trouble is dating a guy who cried about having sex with Rey?”

“Wait, he did?” Rey nodded. “Oh my god, I had no idea. You would think someone with a tongue piercing would be more… I don’t know… experienced? Finn didn’t cry when we had sex.”

“I really didn’t need to know that, Rose,” Rey sighed as Paige started chuckling.

“All right, patties are looking good. Fries are crisp. Beer,” Kit took a sip and gasped, “is fresh. Cheers everyone. Here’s to the end of the world.”

“It’s not the end of the world, bro,” Finn chuckled as he took a swig.

“Really? You haven’t heard to new report?”

“What new report?” Kaydel asked as she started putting the burgers together.

“Sighting of walkers in Lexington,” Kit said as he seasoned the fries.

“Is that what they’re calling them now?” Paige asked as she rolled her eyes.

“I’m serious. This shit is getting intense,” he expressed as he set out plates for them.

“How do you even get this kind of information?” Rey asked, “I haven’t seen anything like that on the news.”

“I may have found an old trucker radio and may have fixed it to set it to the frequencies of our lovely military overlords,” he smirked as he served his friends.

“You didn’t?” Finn chuckled, “Man, you are brilliant.”

“Yeah, but what does that mean for us?” Paige continued, “It’s not like we can go anywhere. We’re stuck until the quarantine is lifted.”

“Paige, he’s giving us insight to what’s happening outside of Polk City,” Rose exclaimed, “This could bigger than what they are letting on to be.”

“Where did you find the radio?” Rey asked as Kit rolled his eyes.

“Why? So you can turn it into to your officer boyfriend?”

“No, I’m just asking.” Han had a radio that had gone missing a week ago.

“Like I said, I found it and fixed it,” Kit stuck with his story as he bit into his burger.

“So, what’s it like working for the law, Rey?” Kaydel asked as she joined her friends, “Do you get any special perks?”

Rey knew what she was insinuating as Paige tried to stifle a giggle.

“Nope… I just answer phones and file papers.”

“Do you have lunch with anyone? Perhaps someone who is tall and wears glasses?” Paige asked as Rey kicked her. She nodded over at her brother and shook her head as Paige winked.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time at the police station. What gives?” Finn asked as he pulled Rose into his lap.

“Just trying to do something with my time,” she answered as she picked at her fries, “I mean, there’s not really much happening now...”

“You could just hang with us,” Kit chimed in.

“And do what? This,” she gestured around the kitchen as she placed her untouched food on the ground, “This doesn’t feel right. The man can hardly get any customers anymore, let alone get these food deliveries. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Shh… guys,” Kaydel pointed at the window to find a pair of headlights turning into the back lot.

“Shit,” Kit hissed, “Dump the food into this trash. Head into the diner and hide under the tables.”

The kids leapt into action. The last thing you wanted to be caught by any of the military personal. Disobeying the orders of the quarantine meant serious trouble. The first time someone had broke curfew, Sergent Stonewall put them in the hold for 24 hours. His way was the law. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He was a scary man with a shaved head and a missing eye that just demanded your attention. Rey remembered when he had walked into the police station with his men as if to intimidate the officers into following their ways, but Artoo told him to suck a lemon and Ben made sure to wedge himself between the man with scarred face and her.

They heard footsteps coming from the back of the diner and making their way into the main eating area. A flashlight shone around them as the kids tried to hold their breaths. Rey hoped that it was someone else. She hoped it was her dad who came to get them or maybe Han Solo.

“All right you have till the count of 3 to show yourselves or else I’m calling your parents,” called out Officer Ben Solo, “1… 2… 3…”

Everyone slowly came out from under the tables they were hiding. He stood there not in his usual police uniform, but instead in a red flannel shirt and a pair of dark washed jeans. Rey had never seen him so normal looking. Still he had his glasses, but the rustic look really did a number on her.

“All right, we’re all heading out of here, but the really trouble comes along,” he said as he pointed towards the door, “Come on.”

“You’re not in charge here,” Kit challenged, “Who are you to tell us what to do?”

“Fine, you can stay here and wait for some military man to hold you at gun point or you can come with me and we can safely go to the station,” Ben explained and everyone made a bolt for the door.

How everyone was able to fit in his truck was quite impressive as Kit and Finn rode in the bed, Kaydel, Paige and Rose took up the back seat while Rey was in the front. She turned to him and watched him working his jaw. He seemed pretty upset. When he turned into the police station, he unlocked the doors and they all filed in. He locked it behind him and turned to face the 6 of them. 

“I don’t know which is more stupid,” Ben scolded as he folded his arms over his chest, “Being dumb enough to sneak out past curfew or being dumb enough to steal from a man’s dying business.”

“I put money in the drawer to compensate,” Finn answered. 

“Shut up!” he snapped, making them all stiffen, “You do realize it’s almost 3 o’clock in the morning? There are patrols constantly going down that main road! You better be glad it was me who spotted you and not them.”

“Why are you up this late, Officer Solo?” Kit asked as he squinted his eyes at him, “I thought only military personnel were allow to be up passed curfew.”

Without missing a beat, he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and pulled out a badge that was hanging around his neck. 

“You have Sheriff Holdo to thank for these,” he growled, “She fought for us to get these after what happened to the Pearce boys.”

Rey remembered what happened to them. They looked exhausted and dehydrated after being in the hold for 24 hours. Those brothers were never the same after that. 

Rose started sniffling her apologizes as her sister held her hand. Ben’s expression slowly softened as he saw the young girl’s tears fall down her cheeks. Rey watched as he rub the back of his neck as he let out a sigh. 

“Look, there some cots in the cells, I can pull out some more pillows and blankets so you guys can get some rest,” Ben offered, “In the morning, I’ll make sure you guys get home without any trouble.”

Finn found the spare mattresses as Kaydel helped pass out blankets. Rose and Paige shared one together as Kit took a whole one to himself. Slowly everyone started falling asleep, but Rey stayed up, listening to her brother softly snore on the floor where his girlfriend slept. She slowly tiptoed her way out of the room and went to the main office where Ben sat at his desk looking over some files as he drank his coffee. 

“Thank you,” she said softly as he looked up at her, “Umm... for the record, I did try to talk them out of it.”

“Really?” he smirked, “Seems to me that this would the thing you would talk them into, little lawbreaker.”

Rey smiled back, feeling her nerves relax. He wasn’t angry with her. Placing her hands behind her back she slowly approached his desk as he leaned back in his chair. 

“You caught me. I’m just one of those helpless souls, unable to be rescued. Maybe I am destined for a life of crime.”

“Don’t say that,” he said in a serious tone as stopped a foot away from him, “Don’t ever say that about yourself.”

Rey bit her lip as a sudden chill ran down her back. Her heart rate jumped as he stood up and walked towards her, closing the space between them. She looked down at his feet in front of hers, noticing the scoffs on his boots, slowly making her way back up to his face. It always surprised how big he was compared to her as she cranes her head back to meet his intense gaze. 

“Never think of yourself like that ever again,” he said sternly, “You are a lot stronger than you think and are worth your weight in gold.”

“Ben...” she said weakly as he leaned over her. She eyes got big as his face got closer. She was sure she was going to faint if he came any closer. She closed her eyes and waiting, shivering when she felt his warm breath on her lips. _This is it. This is really happening._ She waited for him to close that gap, imagining that this would be the best kiss she’ll ever get her whole life, but instead nothing came. Ben let out a heavy sigh before stepping away. 

“Go get some sleep, Rey,” he said as she opened her eyes. 

“But...”

“Now.”

 

**~*~**

 

 **1 month and 2 weeks in quarantine...**  
****

Rey hadn’t been to the station since Ben had brought her and her friends in. The day after that it was a little awkward between the two of them. Poe thanked him for looking after his kids and as Ben was saying goodbye, she didn’t look at him. He shouldn’t have this pull to her, but he couldn’t help. After that night, in the privacy of his own home, he took himself in his own hand as he moaned her name. He thought of the way she looked at him with soft, sparkly eyes of innocence as she shifted from side to side. He could see the faint blush on her cheek that was always there when she looked his way. A silly schoolgirl crush he had told himself once as he tried not to think of her that way. When her eyes fell to his lips, he wondered. If it weren’t for his morals or her father, he would have taken a chance. He would have gone all the way to kiss her, to hold her close, mold her into his body, throw her onto his desk, removed those tight skinny jeans and taste every inch of her before burying himself deep inside of her. He gasped as he painted the tile wall in front of him, groaning as he twitched a few times after the thought of her tight cunt.  
****

Now, here he was having lunch with his dad as they eyed the dirt road where the city radius ended to see if there was anything exciting happening.

“So, how did you chase her off?” Han asked as he handed him his sub.

“I didn’t chase her off,” Ben snapped as he opened his bottle of water. 

“Mhmm... then why haven’t I seen her?”

“She probably has too much homework. I think it’s like midterms this week,” he said just making up an excuse.

Not like he had driven by the school to find her at the baseball field, playing a round of softball with some of the other kids from school. He should take Poe’s threat more to heart, but he couldn’t help himself when he’d eye the empty desk, hoping to find her smiling at him. She was a kid... almost 18, but still a kid with big, doe eyes that looked at him like he was God’s blessing whenever he walked into a room and subtle curves that remind of the woman she was becoming... or could become. 

“Chewie misses her,” Han mumbled after biting his sandwich, “So whatever you did, fix it.”

“Like you know anything about fixing,” Ben scoffed as he looked at the deserted road. No one ever drove this backroad anymore. 

“Yeah, and that’s why I’m telling you to fix it. Trust me, it’ll be better in the long run.”

“Dad, she’s 17.”

“So, I met your mom when she had just turned 18,” Han explained, “Just don’t do anything until it’s legal.”

Ben rolled his eyes as he turned back to road. Sergeant Stonewall has been tight lip about their situation, but Ben had an inside with a little private named Sabine Wren. He worked his Solo charm anytime he saw her and she would feed him information from the inside. 

“The division has been given orders to leave in a week,” Ben said somberly, “They’re needed in the larger cities that are affected.”

“Good riddance,” Han answered. 

“Dad, that’s not good. It’s leaving us exposed. We need head up to Tampa,” he started, “Look, they’re converted the Tropicana Dome into a shelter for refugees. I’ve taken a stock pile of supplies that can last us through winter if we need it, but being Florida, we probably…”

“You have supplies?”

“Yeah, enough for at least maybe 5 or 6 people.”

“Are you wanting to help someone out? Say an automotive repair man and his two kids?”

Lucky for Ben, he had gotten a call for a disturbance that wasn’t happening to far from his location.

“67 Pines Road,” Snap said over the radio, “Mr. Reeves said he saw a couple of walkers on his property and military too far out to get to him.”

“Roger that,” he responded, “Buckle up. Looks like we’re killing zombies.”

 

**~*~**

 

It was a loud scream that caught her attention. Her brother was in danger as she watched him run across the field.  
****

“Run! Run!” he shouted at her as the animated dead woman seemed to pick up speed.

“Shit!” she hissed and reached into the trunk of her car. Her lucky bat had never looked more appealing than now. She grabbed the tinted brown wood wrapped in barded wire and charged at the beast tailing Finn. Her teeth were grit as she commanded her brother to duck. With one swung, her bat made full contact with the woman’s head, knocking her down to the ground. Rey raised the bat over her head and bashed in the woman’s head until the body stopped. She stared down at the disembodied and began to shake. She was frozen in shock from what she had done. It as different in theory, but to put through practice. 

“REY!” she heard behind her as Poe was running up towards her, “Jesus Christ, are you okay?”

He looked over as she nodded, still trembling from the shock. He pulled her in and held her as she spotted a patrol car pulling into the driveway. She dropped her bat and held her father closed as she cried into his shoulder. Poe shushed her and stroked her hair just like he did long ago whenever she got scared as she heard her brother talking with Ben… Officer Solo and Han about what happened. Officer Solo suggested that everyone head back to the house while they combed the area. Rey spotted the shotgun he had in hand as her dad guided her back to the yellow house. She looked up to find concern riddled on his face as they slowly passed. He didn’t break eye contact with her till she turned her head straight ahead.

“Rey,” the officer called after her and tossed her her bat, “just in case.”

She gripped the blood stain before looking back up at him, watching head towards the open field to find who knows what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new chapter day! Hooray! I'm so glad so many people are enjoying this. I love reading the comments. They make me feel like I'm doing something right. Thanks for over 900 hits and 50 kudos. I'm in pure bliss. I want to write some smutty deliciousness between our leads, but it hasn't been earned yet. We need to go deeper. We need Ben to realize that his feels for Rey are very protective as he gets ready to fight zombies. Thanks to AlbaStarGazer, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Skylo3, Zombie_Queen, strangcurrencies, uh_no_thanks, and Katie716 for your awesome comments. It's the little things that make me feel like I'm doing something good.


	8. We're Hunting Zombies

BANG! That was the last one he saw as Ben reloaded his gun.

“We need to take these in,” Han said as he looked over his son kill, “These people need to know what’s going on.”

Ben had shot four rounds, killing three of these zombies that now seemed to be invading Polk City.

“Go back to the house and check on the Damerons. See how Rey and Finn are holding up,” Ben said as he grabbed a pair of gloves from his front pocket, “I’ll search the bodies, see if I can locate some ID.”

“Ben, these people have to know.”

“We don’t know how many are out there, but for now, let’s just make sure those that are in this area are safe. Get on the radio and see if you can get Snap or Sheriff Holdo out here.”

Han nodded, pulled out his phone and snapped a couple of pictures of their dead victims. Ben searched pants, coats, and jackets to find out who these people were. Clearly they were not for the First Order, they looked like regular civilians. Maratha Randal was the woman in the nurse uniform. She was easy to identify with her badge. Andi Parks was the boy. Looked like he had just turned 16 about a week ago. The final one was hard to ID, but from his sandals and tropical shirt, Ben could tell he had come from the beach. The other two were from places further north. With sigh, he looked over the bodies once more. He learned quick that in order to kill you had to strike it in the head. For him and the other officers, it would be no problem, but he feared for the rest of Polk City. Who knew how they were going to react to something like this?

Ben approached the backdoor of the yellow house and knocked. Finn opened it for him, nodding when the officer asked him if he was okay.

“So what happened exactly?” Ben asked as he set his gun to the side.

“I had gone to see Rose,” he explained as Poe and Han listened as well, “Since the truck doesn’t have any gas, I figured I’d walk. Her house is on the other side of those woods. That’s when I saw a woman just standing there, staring up at the sun. I asked her if she was okay and she didn’t respond. When I approached her was when she turned around lunged at me. So I ran back towards the house, shouting hoping someone might hear me. Luckily someone did.”

As if on cue, Rey came down the stairs, showered and changed from the blood stained clothes. She was still toweling off her hair as the men turned to her.

“Hey kid,” Poe said softly as she paused at the doorway, “how are you holding up?”

“I’m fine,” she answer with a little tremble in her voice. She turned to Ben, holding her head a little higher and asked, “So, are you going to the Tico resident?”

“In a little bit,” he said, “Just want to make sure you’re fine.” He was ready to reach out and touch her, but stopped when Poe cleared his throat. He nodded at the backdoor to his dad and ready to make his exit. Han pulled Rey in for a hug and gave her some words of comfort before following his son out.

“Make your way into town,” Ben said, “Holdo is meeting with Stonewall to talk about this. Give your testimony and they’ll take care of you. Pack a bag just in case.”

As he was about to enter his patrol car, he heard someone approach him from behind. Before he had a chance to react, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist as small head buried itself into his chest. When she looked up at him, Ben could see the tears welling that threatened to fall from the beautiful hazel eyes.

“Please be careful,” Rey said softly before putting her face back into his chest. Ben’s response was to pull her in closer and rub her back as she sniffled softly.

“I’ll be all right,” he whispered to her, “I’m coming back for you, sweetheart.”

He kissed the top of her head as she began to let go. He smiled down at her as they held each others’ hands for a while longer.

“Umm… I hate to break up a beautiful moment, but the Ticos,” Han reminded him and Ben jumped back into action.

 

**~*~**

 

When Paige was younger, she had always wanted a little brother. Mainly to torment and tease, and to prove the girls were better than boys, but when her parents brought home Rose, she wanted them to return her from wherever they got her. Overtime, Rose grew on Paige. Her chubby cheeks were her ultimate weakness and the two became inseparable. Now, they were hiding in a closet together, Paige arm wrapped around her sister’s as their backs were against the door. She never once thought she would be doing. Her father was certain that the military would be on their way, but had his gun ready just in case.

She heard one gunshot and then another. When she heard her mother screams, that was when she told Rose to cover her ears and she held her tightly.

“No matter what happens,” Paige whispered to her, “I’ll protect you.”

She thought back to all the times they had petty fights, all the stupid arguments over boys, clothes and books. She would take it all back if that meant they could spend more time together. Paige held Rose close as they shook, waiting for the worst to happen.

“Is there anyone in here?!” they heard a voice call out down the hall.

Her heart jumped as Rose looked up at her. Paige slowly opened the door. There stood Rey’s dream officer, blood and muck splattered on his pants and shirt as he offered a hand to her.

“Are you guys all right?” he asked and they nodded, “Good, good. Let’s get you guys out of here.”

“What about our parents?” Paige asked as she took Rose’s hand. He gave them a somber look as he shifted side to side. Rose started to weep as Paige held her close. She wanted to cry too, but she needed to be there for her sister. “Where are they?”

“Downstairs,” he answered, “Han is taking pictures of them right now.”

“Pictures?”

“As evidence. We need something to bring forward to Stonewall.”

“No,” Paige said sternly, “no, no, no...”

“Paige,” he interrupted, placed an arm on her shoulder, “we need to do this if we are going to get the justice your parents deserve. Stonewall and his men don’t think this effects us. In a week, they’ll be gone, leaving us defenseless. With this, we might be able to convince them.”

Paige looked over at Rose, her eyes watery and red. 

“Take us to them,” she said.

“Paige...”

“Please, Officer Solo,” Rose finally spoke up.

They weren’t ready for what they were about to see. When Han was about to bring up taking the bodies, Ben shook his head. Now was not the time for whatever crazy scheme he had. Rose wept, her knees buckling and Paige followed with her. Ben’s heart went out to these girls. To see your parent brutally killed in a savage way, would have been hard for anyone. 

There were five walkers surrounding the house when they had come on the scene. Ben was able to run over two of them with his car as Han shot down another one. As the approached the door, Ben took a shovel he had found on the ground and swung, knocking the head off one while Han fired two rounds into the last one.

When they got inside, it was a horrible sight. Two were feasting on the organs of the mother while the father lie dead next to her. BANG! BANG! went Han’s pistol as the last one fell. They were fortunate that neither of the parents reanimated, but the devastation these girls had to bare is unimaginable.

“I want to burying them,” Rose said, bringing Ben attention back to them, “All of them.”

“Rose, we don’t have to…”

“Paige please,” the youngest spoke, “The dead deserve to rest.”

The afternoon sun soon was setting as Ben dug seven graves in the front lawn while Han helped the girls in the back. Rose knew the perfect spot to bury their parents. It was the need the oak tree they had planted when they first moved to the small Florida town. Ben joined them to help lower the bodies down. After saying a prayer, Rose and Paige took some violets from their mother’s garden and placed them on the graves. 

Ben and Han waited for girls in the patrol car as they gathered their things. It wasn’t safe for them to stay in that house anymore. Ben told them to pack essentials, anything that they would need. The sooner he got them to a safe spot, the better.

“Clearly the military is moving out sooner than we think,” Han said as Ben looked over the messages he got back from Sheriff Holdo, “That’s nearly 20 of those suckers we took out, Ben. Waiting the week would put us in my danger than before.”

“Maybe that’s what they want,” Ben suggested, “Maybe they’re hoping enough of us die out here, so they don’t feel at guilty leaving us.”

“What did the sheriff say?”

“Well, she does think something up, but Stonewall won’t see her till tomorrow,” he answered as the Tico sisters came out with duffles packed. Paige has handed her bag to Ben to load it into the trunk as Rose paused to look back at their home. A place filled with so many happy memories suddenly tainted by the grittiness of the dire situation.

“Come on, Rose,” Paige said as she took her sister’s hand. 

Life was going to be same after that day.

 

**~*~**

 

Sheriff Holdo entered the base the military had set up a month ago. Walking around, it reminded her of her days in the army. She never got deployed, because of a biking accident that broke her leg, but still she knew the smells, the sounds, and the sights. It brought back some fond memories, but now was not the time to moon over the past. She had a job to do. Unlike this bald head sergeant, these were her people, her town. She had grown up here and came back with the promise to protect them. No way was she going to let this man ruin her home.

“Ma’am,” one of the privates tried to stop her as she enter Sergeant Stonewall’s tent, “you can’t be in here.”

She stared this boy down so hard, he had to have wet himself.

“Leave us,” the big, burly man said as he was shaving.

When they were alone, the sheriff sized up her competition. He was tall with broad shoulders. He had a scar over his left eye, blinding him in that eye, but it made him more intimidating than he really was. Sheriff Holdo knew that this man was just hiding behind his ranking. She had seen what he had try to do, and when she stepped in, he hated it. The hold was dismantled after the third time it was used. There was no need for this kind of torture and he only seemed to target the youth of this community. What they were supposed to be doing was protecting them, but clearly that was not working.

“Amilyn,” the sergeant said as he turned around, using her first name to dismiss the rank she held and wiping his face off, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

She pulled out her phone and loaded the photos.

“Swipe left and you’ll see,” she ordered as she handed him the phone. He looked over the photos and laughed.

“What is this?”

“Your men left an area of our town defenseless. It that section it’s nothing, but older folks and a few families. Two families were attack and two young girls are left parentless because of your men’s negligence,” she retorted as the sergeant smirked down at her.

“Those men had left a while ago,” he explained as he handed her back her phone, “Soon the rest of us will be gone soon.”

“I know that!” the sheriff shouted, “You need to get on the line with whoever is in charge and get you and your men to stay.”

“And watch you and your _people_ get eaten alive? No thanks, I’ll pass.”

“What’s the matter with you? You took an oath to serve and protect and you’re just going to leave? You can’t leave these people defenseless, they’re just simple folk. Some of them have never even held a gun before.”

“We were given orders that more people were needed in Atlanta. I’m sorry, sheriff, but sometimes you have to sacrifice the few to help the many.”

Her blue eyes had fire behind them. The amount of anger in her could ignite a firing squad at this smug man. She opened her phone one more time and showed him a picture of the Ticos.

“I want you to look at this photo. That’s Chi and Mai Tico. They are second generation Vietnamese who moved to Florida to start a family. Those two girls are Paige and Rose. Because of _your_ men, their parents are gone, but because of _my_ men, these two survived,” she made known, “You are weak, Sergeant Stonewall. A true solider would stand and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. They have resources in those bigger cities. You’re not needed there now. You’re just going because you’re scared of the unknown that is happening here.”

With that, she took her leave. She couldn’t stand breathing the same air as that coward.

 

**~*~**

 

Han was surprisingly really good at the ukulele as Poe strummed his guitar with him. The pair were playing a duet as they sat around the small campfire. Rose had her head on Finn’s shoulder as Paige laid against Chewie. Rey had never felt more at peace than in this simple moment. It had been a couple of days since the attack. Han had offered the two families refuge in his RV, allowing the Tico sisters his king size bed and giving Rey and Finn the bunk beds. A few nights she couldn’t sleep, she’d let her dad take her bed as she sat in the front seat of the RV. Han was always great companion. Sometime he wouldn’t say anything and just let her seat with him as they watch the sun slowly rise. Sometimes she would join Paige and Rose as neither one of them didn’t want to sleep alone. She would hear Rose’s sniffling from time to time as Paige comforted her. It amazed her how strong Paige was being. She couldn’t imagine what she would have done if Finn had been attacked by that zombie.

 _“He was just lucky you were there at the right time,”_ she had told her.

 _“Rose was lucky to have you too,”_ Rey responded _, “At she wasn’t alone.”_

Now here they sat as the cool autumn breeze brushed over them as Ben pulled into the lot. Rey watched him pull out some things from the trunk and got up to help him. 

“Anything I can do?” she asked as he looked over his shoulder and smiled. He always seemed to smile when she was around.

“Help me with these boxes,” he said, nodding at the cardboard boxes. She grabbed the first one she saw and followed Ben behind the RV. One-by-one, Rey took inventory on everything. 

“Is this going to be enough?” she asked as Ben wiped his brow.

“It should be the 7 of us.”

“8,” Rey corrected as she point at the mastiff.

“Eh... he’s not the picky,” Ben chuckled as leaned against the RV, “You nervous?”

“Well...” Rey looked over at their travel party, “I’ve never left home before. For almost 10 year, Polk was home. It almost feels wrong to leave.”

“Hey,” he reached out and pulled her in for a hug, “I know it may seem scary, but you have some of the strongest fighters here for you.”

“Strongest?” she laughed as looked up at him, “I took one out by myself, Officer.”

“Yeah, you did.”

Rey felt her heart jump at the dreamy look in his eyes. It was almost the same way he looked her the other night. Instead of waiting for him to take the plunge, Rey got up on her tiptoes and leaned up towards him. 

“Rey...” he spoke in a deep alluring voice, “Please don’t...”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t do this,” Ben sighed as his hand rested on her waist, trying to push her away, “We really shouldn’t... shouldn’t even be thinking about.”

“I think about it all the time,” she admitted as his eyes grew.

“Rey...”

“You’re all I think about, Ben,” she looked at his chest as a finger drew along the stitching of his shirt pocket, “I... ummm... I think many things about you...” this was embarrassing, but she felt like it needed to be said, “I mean... it may not be appropriate to say what I think about you...”

“Rey, stop,” he said placing a finger on her mouth, “whatever you may think about doing to me, it’s not right.”

“Why not?”

“You’re still a kid.”

“I’ll be 18 in January.” She glared up at him as he got defensive.

“It’s the law and you father...”

“What about him?”

“He made it clear he doesn’t like me and would prefer if we didn’t spend so much time together.”

“Well, he’s going have to deal with it if we’re really going to Tampa. I can change his mind.” She was ready to march over, but Ben pulled her back, wedging her against the RV and him. She gasped feeling his hard chest against her as his nose brushed hers. The heat of his breath was making her weak. _God... don’t let this moment end…_ She was sure her knees would buckle if he wasn’t pressed against her.

“Rey, please,” he whispered on her cheek, “I... I shouldn’t even want to do this to you...”

“Do what?” Rey challenged him, rubbing herself against him, brushing her lips on his, but he pulled back.

“That,” he groaned as he held her against the cool metal. He was so warm. She wonder if he was warm underneath all those layers he had on. He let out a long sigh as he started pulling back. Out of no where, her confidence came to her, she grabbed him by his shirt collar and kissed him. Just a taste that’s all she needed for now. Just to feel his plush lips against hers would be enough for now. When she released him, she looked up into his face to find him just as flushed and surprised as her.

“Goodnight, Ben,” she said rather quickly and ran to get into the RV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter day! Hooray! Things will be heating up soon for our love birds. Thank you so much for all your support. I can't believe its hit over 1000 hits already and now has 60 kudos. Thanks Katie716, nyrcella, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, uh_no_thanks, lostinagalaxyfaraway, ZiaLisa, Cherokee, GreyWarrior, AblaStarGazer, Zombie_Queen and anniesscribbles for your wonderful comments. I look forward to them more and more each time I write. Thanks again to everyone else who is supporting this fic. I hope I don't let you down. Till the next chapter.


	9. This Is a Very Dumb Idea

Dr. Hux turned off the TV. There was nothing on but coverage on the epidemic infecting the southeast. He was at the helm of a vaccination to prevent the outbreak from spreading further. The government had given him so much funding, he could have easily bought an island with that money. They were entrusting not only theirs, but also their country’s lives in his hands. After Mr. Snoke’s passing or disappearance, everything fell onto his shoulders and he never felt better. The amount of respect and gratitude that came pouring in was amazing. Dr. Phasma, on the other hand, saw things a little differently. Though she did enjoy the money, it was the power that came with it. Right now she was working on keeping the company tight lip. As he looked from his new furnished office, he saw her parading around the deformed man. It was a message to anyone who dared stepped out of line. Dr. Hux smirked as his colleague poked the man with a cattle prod. Good. Let them remember who they work for. It was good to feel like the most powerful man and woman in the world.

 

**~*~**

 

They loaded up the RV and did one last check before heading out to Tampa. There had to be better luck for them there. While Han was cooking the troupe breakfast as a military Jeep pulled into the lot. A woman with a blonde pixie cut and blue eyes approached the group as Ben got up to greet her. Rey didn’t like her. She didn’t like that he had pulled her aside to talk in private. Rey followed them, keeping her distance as Finn crept next to her as well.

“What do you think she wants?” he asked his sister as she hushed him before them got caught.

“Sabine, thank you,” Ben said as the woman handed him an envelop, “You don’t know how much this means to us.”

“Well, I tried,” the military woman said as he opened the envelop and read the letter.

“This is more than just trying,” he smiled, “This is great. Thank you, so much.”

He pulled the woman into a hug as Rey felt a tug on her heart. She shouldn’t be jealous, because her and Ben weren’t really a couple yet and she had never seen this woman before. However, there was probably one of the major differences between her and the military woman Ben was holding. She was a full grown woman and in Ben’s eyes, Rey was not. When they pulled back, the woman smiled up at the officer, radiating her happiness for his approval in her eyes.

“Listen,” she continued, “Tampa is being evacuated as we speak. They’re moving them up to Jacksonville right now. What would be better for you and your friends are to go to Atlanta.”

“Really?”

“It won’t be long till they’re here, Ben.”

Rey watched his jaw tighten and take long strides to his patrol car. In a matter of seconds, he tore out of the dirt lot and headed onto the road into town. She turned to her brother and they immediately ran to their dad to inform him of what they heard.

 

**~*~**

 

Sheriff Holdo sat in her office when Ben came barreling through her door.

“We need to get people out,” he demanded, “There is going to be a swarm here by the end of the day.”

“Solo, slow down. What are you even talking about?”

He explained everything as much as he could as Snap and Artoo listened in on their conversation. She listened to every word he said, digested everything before nodding. They spilt up into multiple direction. Door-to-door Holdo, Snap, and Ben went to homes to let them know what was coming. Some were willing to go, taking the warning to heart. Others slammed their doors in the officers’ faces, but for the most part were ready to evacuate. 

 

**~*~**

 

Artoo had other plans. He instead drove home. He entered into the little bungalow where a fat orange and white cat laid at the front. The cat purred when he saw his master. Either he was happy to see him or happy to be coming inside. Once he unlocked the door, the cat darted in the threshold, passing a potted elephant ear to get to the kitchen where his bowl was. Artoo sighed as he bent down to pick up the mail and set it on the side table next to him with his keys. He hung up his hat was he passed the living room towards the screened patio where a tall man in a gold robe stood spraying his hanging plants.

He jumped when Artoo opened the screen door and gave him a crossed look. 

“Arthur Desmine are you trying to give me a heart attack?” the tall man snapped as the short, round man chuckle.

“How you doing, kid?” he asked as he kissed his partner on the cheek.

“I was just about to check on the bamboo in the backyard, you nitty,” the man continued, “Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Something came up, C.P.,” Artoo responded in a loving tone as he took a seat on the patio chair.

“Poor excuse if I’ve ever heard one,” C.P. sneered as the orange and white cat meowed, “Oh, but you found Bee! Thank the maker.”

Artoo smiled to himself as his partner picked up the cat and started dancing with it. Poor man had been losing it for the past 5 years. Dementia had to be a worst killer than any zombie that would set foot on their property. From time to time he’ll think Bee Bee has disappeared despite seeing the cat yesterday. However, Cameron Parker Jones meant the world to him. He was a languish Artoo had meant during the war. He was part of an escort group to get Cameron to the embassy on a mission of goodwill. He was annoy. Quite the chatter box who did nothing, but panic at the smallest thing. 

When they got separated from their party, Artoo and Three-Pio (as his team “lovingly” called the stiff) had to make their way to the embassy on a more rugged trial. Artoo had thought of the many times he wanted to blow his brains out during the track, but Cameron turned out to be a lot more helpful than most of the men under him. He spoke many languages and knew so much about the culture in Vietnam that he was able to find them shelter in local villages as well as food. They developed a friendship that Artoo had never experienced before. They talked about their home lives and at the time Artoo was engaged to his high school sweetheart, but there was something about C.P. that made him feel different. Not only did he confide to him about his abusive father, but he told him about his doubts on getting married.

It was one night they were staying at a local fishing village just outside of Hanoi as they were slowly getting drunk off of the plum wine that C.P. had said, “Then don’t marry. It seems to be the most logical thing to do.” Somewhere later on in the evening, C.P. had found a woman’s silk kimono, put it on and did some show tunes for Artoo to lighten the mood. Then somehow much later on as the two were laughing, their lips locked in a kiss and soon, to Artoo at least, their friendship became something more. It was a hot, sticky night in that village and Artoo remember it becoming more hot and sticky as their clothes kept coming off. He remembered how shy and bashful C.P. was through it all, claiming he had never had sex before, but something in that moment felt so right. Artoo wasn’t drunk on the plum wine, he was drunk on the soft, sweet moan C.P. released into the night air as he thrusted into him. Nothing felt more right in that moment as they made love, their lips locked in any moment as Artoo’s stubble brushed against C.P. soft cheek. He remembered how wonderful it felt to just be held in his arms after everything was over.

When the mission was over and they ended up parting ways, Artoo was filled with so much regret as he departed back to America. He did end up marrying his high school sweetheart. They had a couple of kids. He had a steady job as a police officer in Charolette for a while, but he felt so hollow. On one night when he was invited to an army charity event was when he saw him again. It had been 10 years, but C.P. still looked the same. His heart raced as they shook hands. It turned out C.P. had never married, not interested in having an affair with anyone else after what they had been through in Vietnam. They had snuck a kiss in the garden when no one was looking and had snuck off in the middle of the party to the hotel the British solider was staying at. However, what should have lasted didn’t and Artoo could feel the remorse creeping in.

C.P. decided to take a job in Charlotte as a teacher, giving them a chance to continue this affair. During the winter, they would head out on a hunting trip just to spend sometime alone. Eventually his wife got suspicious and had Artoo followed by a PI for a while till she had enough proof to divorce him and take his kids away from him. He hoped that one day his kids would understand why he did it. C.P. felt awful for what Artoo had to go to, but he told him not to worry. He was happier to be with the one he loved than to continue to be with a woman who meant nothing to him anymore.

The pair finally settled in the little town of Polk City, away from the neighbors who would gossip about them. Once they were fully settled in, they felt like they could be who they truly could be. They even got a cat. They argued like most couples, having passionate debates about life and the world they lived in, but never went to bed mad. Artoo took pride in his love for C.P. and was never ashamed to express it. Though they live a private life, many of their close friends in Polk knew of their romance.

Now he sat on his patio as he cracked open a beer. He could leave his comfy little bungalow, but with the love he had, he would gladly lay his life on the line for him.

 

**~*~**

 

Han drove his RV through Polk City. He had gotten word from Ben to go ahead without him and that he would meet him in Jacksonville. It was going to be a long 4 hours, but Han was sure his son could take care of himself. With Chewie as his copilot and the rest of their travel party seated, he was sure they’ll make it to Jacksonville with no issue. That was until they were about to turn on the main highway, finding it blocked off by the military. Sergeant Stonewall stood on top the man made barricade as his men had their guns ready to fire. More cars pulled up around his RV with distressed families coming out.

“What gives?”

“Let us go!”

“You can’t keep us here!”

“Ladies and gentlemen of Polk City,” Sergeant Stonewall said into the megaphone he had in his hand, “as ordered by the government, you are still under quarantine. This means you are not allowed to leave until this is lifted. We know that someone has been spreading this lie that you are endanger, but my men and I have combed your city’s limit. There are no walkers in your area.”

“LIAR!” Rey called out as Poe tried to pull her back into the RV, “I saw them! They attacked my brother, killed my friends’ parents, because your men weren’t there!”

Stonewall just chuckled.

“Little girl, don’t you have somewhere to be like school? What would be best for you all is to go home and relax. By tomorrow the quarantine will be lifted and life will be back to normal for you all,” he continued, “You’ll be able to build a better community than ever before.”

“Fuck you!” called Paige as Rose found a rock to throw at his shiny head. 

“Let them go, Stonewall,” came Sheriff Holdo’s voice. The people turned to find her approaching with Snap and Ben on either side of her, “If they want to leave, there is no point in holding them back. Let them find solace in Jacksonville.”

“Let us go!”

“It’s not safe here!”

“Listen to the girls!”

“This community is under my jurisdiction!” the sergeant barked as his men cocked their guns, “No one leaves.”

That night, the community was setup in the town center to put on extra surveillance. Rey never felt more anxious in her life as military men walked by the RV. Chewie growled if any of them got to close to the door. 

“What are we going to do?” Rose asked as the four kids sat with the mastiff. Han and Poe were off to plead their case with Stonewall on why they should be pardon to leave with the many others who were looking to get out. 

“We can’t just sit here,” Paige insisted. 

“But there is no where to go,” Finn added, “If anyone is seen leaving, those men have permission to kill on spot.”

Rey eyed her lucky bat sitting near the driver seat. Her mind started racing as she got up and started searching the RV. She found some rope, a pistol, a hunting knife and another shot gun.

“What if we brought one here?” she suggested.

“Are you insane?!” Finn exclaimed, “That’s worst than the military people.”

“Look we just need one to prove that we need to leave,” she went on, “We set a trap to lure it near the military post and they have to let us go.”

“What if more than one follows?” Paige asked as she picked up the hunting knife.

“Then we’ll see it as a head start,” she said as she opened the frozen and pulled out a package of steaks, “Who’s with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Rey is going to get into more trouble than she can handle. Thank you all for your amazing support. I can't believe this has already over 1000 hits and now 62 kudos. I want to thank Shiloh38, uh_no_thanks, anniesscribbles, Keka_Spider, ZiaLisa, nycrella, Katie716, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, darkside_nuggets, Zombie_Queen, and AlbaStarGazer for all your amazing comments in the last chapter. I felt it hard trying to write this chapter, mainly trying to develop more conflict and because I felt like I introduced so many characters I need to start weeding them out as well as talk about other that are present. For now, Artoo will no longer be a part of this story. I just like to imagine him being an old gay man who just wants to be with his partner rather than going off on more adventures. Plus, I totally see him and Three-pio as a couple with a cat. So until next time. Sorry this one isn't as long as the last one. <3


	10. I've Got a Bad Feeling About This

Finn had never been one to try and talk Rey out of bad ideas. In fact that’s how she ended up locked up in the barn almost 10 years ago, but he tried to at least be there if she got herself stuck in a sticky situation. Like the one time she accidentally drove Poe’s car into the garage door, he was never in the car, but told Poe he was the one who started it. Now, he had a shotgun in his hands that he has never shot before as Rey lead their party of four into a forest near the town center. Chewie seemed to be smelling something or he was just really happy to be out of that stuffy RV. He didn’t know what he was going to say when their dad found them missing, but at least they were together.

“What exactly do you hope to find out here?” he asked as Rey shined a flashlight in his face.

“I don’t know,” she said, “You saw one first. What was it that one was doing before it chased you?”

“Just standing,” he replied.

“Do you think zombies sleep?” Rose chimed in as she had the backpack with the meats and held the rope.

“What makes you think they sleep?” Paige inquired as she had the pistol.

“Well, they were once human, right? Maybe they still do human things when their not… you know… eating us?”

“I feel like sleep would be the last thing on my mind if I was a zombie,” Finn chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, “If I were a zombie, I would aimlessly wonder around looking for my purpose in life.”

“Dear God,” Rose giggled as she mocked a prayer, “why am I a zombie? What is the point of me wondering around if I can’t have a normal conversation? Will I every find true love? And is my neighbor, Karen, still a bitch?”

“Can you two take this serious?” Rey snapped as she pointed her flashlight at them, “You want out of here, right?”

Chewie’s ears perked as he looked into the dark forest. He let out a loud bark getting the groups attention. Rey shone her flashlight in the direction the dog was barking at and came face to face with what she was looking for. His head was tilted to the side as his right arm hung lower than his left. He was dressed as a jogger with the shorts, tank top and sweatband on his head. He had headphones still in as his jaw hang wide open. For the looks of it, he looked liked he had been hit by a car. Rey froze at the moment as she heard Finn cock his shotgun. Now that they have their zombie, how were they supposed to get it to follow them?

“Get the rope,” she said to Rose. She was planning this as she was going along. Rey took the rope and tried to create a snare. She wouldn’t really know how to make a snare, since Poe was never one for hunting. When the snare didn’t seem to work, Rey decided maybe a lasso would work. Paige ready to meats as Rey attempted to make a lasso. Their zombie friend was intrigued by the scent of the meat or maybe it was their own scent as he staggered forward. Everyone seemed to hold their breaths as the jogger walked closer to them. Paige tossed the steak at the feet of the zombie as Rey readied her half-ass lasso. The zombie reached down to the meat and sat on the ground to eat it. She took a deep breath as her brother and friend had their guns ready. She spun the lasso around her head and missed by a lot. 

“What are you aim for?” Rose asked. 

“His neck.”

“Aren’t you afraid it’ll snap off?”

“You’re not really helping, Rose,” Rey snapped as Paige tossed and piece of meat get him a little closer to Rey. 

She tossed again, but still no hook. Chewie whined and barked as if to tell them he wasn’t a big fan of this plan at all. The zombie paused and turned towards the mastiff. He began to bark really loud as the zombie started to crawl towards the dog. Rey began to panic. She was sure that Han would never forgive her if anything happened to his copilot. She had act fast. No more stalling. Finn’s finger was locked on the trigger as the barrel of his gun followed the zombie. If he got too close to Chewie, he was ready to fire. Again she spun the rope above her head and chucked at the zombie. It slipped over its head and lauded perfectly around its waist. With one tug, Rey had it stopped in its tracks before it even came close to Chewie. She whistled Chewie to her side as Finn grabbed the rope from behind her. 

The group cheered for their success the siblings slowly try to pull the zombie in the direction of town, but their zombie had other plans. It wriggled and tugged, wanting out of its as they tried lead it on its new leash. Then it turned to charge them, gurgling a growl as they all let go and drove in different directions. Rey cursed as it headed deep into the woods. She got up, grabbing her bat and chased after it. She could hear her brother calling after her as tailed this zombie. There was no way she was going let this one go, not when they had been so close. Ben had worked hard to save them, to find them a safe place, this was her chance to change the tides. She could see the white end the rope. She dove for it, and when she grasped it, she dig her heels into the ground. She pulled hard as the zombie growled again. It fought hard but Rey was persistent. This was proof that they were coming. That this was the new danger that they had to face. Then there was another growl. Rey looked up and saw another walker coming her way. And then another and another and another. Rey soon dropped the rope and reached her bat. She was surrounded and... she realized that now she was alone. She froze as the zombie slowly encroached on her like hyenas ready to attack a defenseless fawn. Her heart nearly jumped to her throat as she readied her bat. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight. The first charged and she swung hard, not missing the head. She took out another giving her enough space to start running. She didn’t know which direction, but she knew she had to get out or at least far enough from them. 

Rey ran as she heard their footsteps get closer. Their growls and moan were so terrifying that it could make the blood run cold. Rey did a sharp turn behind a tree and ducked next a log. She held her breath as she hoped they would pass. She was drenched in sweat as she shivered from the night air. It normally wasn’t this cold in October, but maybe the world was becoming cold now that the dead walked among them. She heard their pacing slow as some of them seemed have lost interest in the pursuit. Rey looked over her shoulder to watch a couple of them stagger off into the distances while two others seemed to be scoping the area for her. She held her bat close, ready to strike at any given moment. She had to make it out of this.

In the distance, she could hear Chewie’s bark, giving her hope that maybe her friends were coming to save her. Distracted by this, she didn’t notice the hand that had grabbed her ankle and was no dragging her across the leaf floor. She let out a scream as she came face to face with her jogger zombie. It seemed to look more cross than he did earlier. It roared in her face, dripping spit on her or at she thought it was spit. It lunge for her neck, but she managed to wedge the bat in its mouth and fought hard. She tried kicking the jogger off of her, but he was far too heavy for her. The barbwires on bat were starting to cut into left hand the harder the zombie pushed. She let out another scream hoping her party would come sooner. Closer and closer the bat inched its way towards as the zombie’s hand its way to her hair, pulling at the scalp.

“Help! Daddy!” she finally cried out. Tears fell hot down her cheeks as she realized that this might be the end. She was stupid girl for wanting to do this. She should have listened to Finn. They probably would have survived the night. Or maybe Han would have gotten the okay and they would be in Jacksonville. She knew the realize she did this. She wanted attention. She wanted Officer Ben Solo to look at her with the same approval as he did that military woman.

With one more cry to help, she hoped that someone would heard her soon. Suddenly a blade pierced the zombie head, going straight through its forehead. Its grip loosen and its body fell on top of her as the blade was pulled out of it. Rey scooted back, pushing the body off of her in a panic. She looked up and saw her rescuer. Officer Ben Solo with a machete in hand looking very crossed at her. 

“Rey!” Poe ran up from behind him and knelt down in front of her, “Are you insane? What were you thinking? Do you realize what you’ve done? And look at your hand! What is wrong with you? You could have gotten yourself killed!”

“I’m sorry…” she said weakly as the tears got bigger, “I… I don’t know what I was thinking…”

Her father pulled her in for a hug and held her close as she sniffled into his shirt. She was blabbered her apologizes as her father tried to console her.

“It’s not safe here,” the officer said, “We need to make our way back to the RV.”

Poe helped her up and grabbed her bat before they made their way back to the RV.

 

**~*~**

 

Sheriff Holdo waited for them as Snap took care of the dog and kids. She looked over Rey’s bloody hand and had Han grab the medical kit. She washed out the wound before dabbing some alcohol to keep it from getting infected.

“You’re lucky your dad and Officer Solo found you,” she said as she began wrapping the hand, “When they came back and found you guys gone, they ran to get us. Officer Solo led the charge, making his dad stay behind in case you all got back before they caught you. Chewie made it back fine. We found Rose running back towards the camp telling us everything that happened. Officer Temmin took her back before we found Finn and Paige. They pointed your dad and Officer Solo in the direction you went as I escorted them back.”

Rey didn’t say anything beside sniffled softly. She was still beating herself up about this.

“Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself, darling,” the sheriff said as she tied the bandage, “The worst is behind us and come 6 a.m. we’ll be leaving this old town for greener pastures. You get some rest. You’ve already had a crazy night.”

“Yes ma’am,” Rey answered weakly and made her way to the RV.

Snap, Poe, Han, and Ben all sat around a small fire as she joined them.

“Well, I guess that settles it,” Sheriff Holdo sighed, “This place is done for.”

“We knew that already,” Han chuckled, “It’s just baldy won’t let us go.”

“What do you mean?”

“Word is that setting up a group of his men to keep us here,” Poe chimed in as he tossed his stick into the fire.

“We have to get out of here,” Ben continued, “After what happened to Rey, there has got to be a way to get out of here.”

The sheriff had had enough. She got up from her seat and picked up the discarded bat. Her officers got up to follow, trying to talk her out of whatever she was about to do.

She made her way to where the military was setting up their convey to head out. No one stopped her as she approached their sergeant and budded him with the handle of the bat.

“What the hell…” he paused with the bat came inches way from his face, shivering at the blood soaked wiring that was around it.

“Now you listen to me, shit for brains,” she bit out, “You may not give a damn about these people, but they were my people. Soon this town will be crawling with these things and you just want to let them die. You’ll be creating a bigger problem than there already is. So I’ll give you two options. Either you let everyone, quarantine or not, or you refuse and I bash your brains in so hard, it’ll take them months to scrape you off your jeep.”

Sergeant Stonewall smirked as he let out a chuckle.

“I’ll have you killed before that happens,” he answered.

“Funny,” she cocked her head to the side as she raised the bat swing, “No one is stopping me now. They must really want you dead.”

She began to swing as the sergeant cried out. It stopped inches from his face once more.

“Go,” he said as he swallowed hard, “Get your people out of here. You have until 1200 hours to get them out, before my men have orders to execute you.”

“Now was that so hard,” she smirked and kicked him in the groin for good measure.

 

**~*~**

 

Rey looked over her bandage hand once more. She couldn’t believe what she had gone through last night. It all seemed like a terrible nightmare, that kept playing over and over in her head. She hardly slept at all the night before and was too afraid to close her eyes. She could still those undead eyes looking back at her, feel the cold flesh that grazed her stomach, or the gnarled teeth ready to bite her. Rose and Finn were cuddled in a corner as they slept soundly. Chewie was at her feet as the RV chugged along. It was a 4 hour drive to Jacksonville from Polk City as Han and Poe sang a couple of songs to keep the mood light. Ben drove his patrol car with Snap in his front seat leading the convey.

Paige offered Rey a granola bar as she sat next to her. 

“Eat,” she said, “You’ll need your strength if you’re going to get through this.”

“I’m not hungry,” Rey answered as she scratched the mastiff’s ear.

“Come on, Rey,” Paige nudged, “We all knew it was a stupid idea, but we went along with it. None of us said anything. It’s like that one time we sold oregano to those middle schoolers because they thought we had weed.”

“Yeah...” Rey smiled, “That was pretty funny... but I put you guys in danger... I should have never done that... and now Officer Solo won’t even talk to me.”

“He just needs to blow some steam off. He’ll be back around,” Paige smiled, “You should have seen him when he was chasing you down. Cursing under his breath. It was pretty hot.”

Rey started to blush as Paige winked. 

“I think he might have a soft spot for you, Dameron,” she whispered to her.

“Shut up, Tico!” Rey kicked her as they laugh.

“See, you’re smiling now,” she offered the granola, “So, come on, Rey. Eat.”

 

**~*~**

 

“Well this looks like a shit hole,” Snap said under his breath when they passed the welcome sign to Jacksonville. A city that was vibrant and teaming with life, looked like a desolate wasteland. What had happened in the span of 3 months? They were greeted by more military personnel.  
 ****

“State your business,” barked one at Ben when he had approached the patrol car.

“We’re a town from Central Florida looking for shelter,” he explained and handed him the written document. The military officer looked over the paper and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re Ben Solo?” He nodded. “Says here you should be heading to Tampa? Why the sudden detour?”

“I was told Tampa was evacuated.” The military officer looked at his partner and nodded him over.

“How many people you got?” the second officer asked.

“Couple thousand? Maybe less. Mainly just small families looking for shelter,” he continued to explained, “Look, we just got out of one bad situation and most of us are exhausted from the constant panic. I just want my people to feel safe.”

“Who’s in charge? Your mayor with you?”

Ben turned to the patrol car behind him as Sheriff Holdo got out. The way she walked, it was like she was the heroine of a western. Her hat on with her him cocked to the side, she eyed the officers ready to square up. 

“I am,” she said boldly. 

Sheriff Holdo asked Ben and Snap to accompany her to this meeting at the town center. In the town hall, it was overrun by the military. They stuck out in the mess of cameo and heavy boots. Sheriff Holdo’s confidence never weaved as Snap seemed to be a little more on edge than usual.

“What if they kick us out?” he asked.

“They won’t kick us out,” she answered, “We have many young families that needing looking out for. They’ll see reason.”

Admiral Ackbar was more friendly than Stonewall. However, it didn’t change the fact that he knew what had happened in Polk City.

“We know about the hostility that you had with Stonewall. We also know that you’ve had some nasty run ins with the walkers,” he said as he looked over some forms, “And one of your officers obtained a written document to seek refuge in Tampa for an unnamed personnel. Perhaps someone in that division.”

“With all do respect, sir,” Sheriff Holdo began, “Sergeant Stonewall gave us no choice. He was going to leave us all to die. Whether it was a command from higher up or not, we’ll never know, but when I chose to serve this country and these people, I took an oath to protect those who could not protect themselves. I stand by that oath to this day.”

“I commend you for that, sheriff,” the admiral said with a smile as he got up from his desk, “There is still, however the matter of the children that were attacked by the walkers.”

“None of them were bitten, sir,” Ben spoke up.

“You may not see it from how they dress, but we’ll need to be sure. How many were attacked?”

“Just four, sir,” Sheriff Holdo replied.

“Then, you’ll have to check them into our quarantine area for further examination,” the admiral said as he started walking them to the door, “It’s standard procedure. Nothing to worry about. We have some of the best doctors who can treat about anything.”

“How long will they be in quarantine?” Ben asked.

“About a week if all is all right.”

“And if not?”

“Let’s save that for if it ever comes up.”

 

**~*~**

 

Dr. Hux sipped his wine as he looked over the new test results he got back. His secretary walked in to bring him his dinner. He smiled at her as she asked if he would need anything else. He waved her off and thanked her. From the latest report, the walkers had been spotted in Charlotte. Nothing catastrophic yet, but just in case. He opened up his drawer to find a syringe filled with a clear liquid in it. He rolled up his sleeve and wiped an area of his arm with an alcohol wipe. Picking up the syringe, he released some pressure before sticking himself with it. His smile never faded as he gave himself the shot. He got up from his desk and went to a panel in his office. He pushed it open to find a cage behind it where a skeleton of a man laid sleep. He poked it with a rod, making the man growl and hissed. He reached his exposed arm in.

“Come on, you old bastard,” Dr. Hux grinned, “I know you want to.”

The man charged and grabbed his arm. Dr. Hux hissed as he felt the man’s teeth sink into his skin. With a taser, he zapped the man and he was released from his hold. He took a swab from the bite before wrapping the wound. He placed it in a vail and sent it down to the lab for testing. With his luck, they find nothing wrong, which meant they had found a prevention for getting infected. In his mind, it was better than nothing. Beside, the world could use another plague. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy! What will happen next? Is Jacksonville going to be a big bust? Did one of our young heroes get bitten? Will Stonewall make an appearance again? And what is Dr. Hux up to? But more importantly, will Rey and Ben ever bang?! The answer to that is yes. I've already written two smutty chapters, but it is not time yet. We must make them suffer before they can bang. All fucking has to be earned by both. I know the last chapter wasn't the best and I got sidetracked with the whole R2/3PO thing, but I loves me some gay droids and those two definitely had a thing going for each other. Thanks to Zombie_Queen, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, anniesscribbles, Katie716, and nyrcella for your awesome comments. Thanks for over 1200 and 64 kudos. Hopefully this chapter is better than the last one. I'll try to have more Rey and Ben in the next chapter, but we'll see. Until next time. Zombie on.


	11. Keep Your Witts About You

Rey, Finn, Rose, and Paige were being escorted to a high school that had been converted to a medical facility. They were told a week at the most if everything went all right. They weren’t allowed to take any of their belongings with them, because they would be provided for them. Neither Poe nor Han were allowed to go with them as part of their quarantine. Only those who came in close to being bitten. Poe held Finn and Rey closed to him, told them it was going to be all right as Han did the same for the Tico sisters. It was hard leaving them. Their father looked at them teary eyed as he slowly let them go.

“Stay strong,” Poe had whispered to them, “We’ll be together soon.”

Kaydel came by as they were about to be sent off to wish them well. Sheriff Holdo offered words of encouragement and Snap told them not worry. Then there was Ben. Before they were about to leave, he pulled Rey aside to talk to her as others were saying goodbye.

“I need you to be straight with me,” he said, almost invading her space, “Why did you go after that zombie the other night? Did you have some death wish or something?”

“What? No! I would never...” Rey paused to collect herself before she continued, “I was just angry. I had thought...” she looked down at her feet, “I had thought if that asshole Stonewall saw one, he would let us go...”

Ben cupped her chin to make her look back up at him. His brown eyes were filled with concern as she felt a shiver run down her back. It was too intense for her to handle, because he had never looked at her that way before. It was as if he was staring at her like she was his lover. She hoped to be, but never realized how deep it would effect her.

“I was really scared that night,” he whispered as she blushed, “Scared that I wasn’t going to make it in time. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.” He looked over his shoulder as their escorts were rounding the teens up. 

“Listen, Rey,” he said sternly, “you’re going to need to keep your wits about you. Don’t trust anyone. If things get to squirrelly, find me and I’ll get you out, okay?”

“But how?” she asked.

“I’m sure you’ll figure that out,” he smirked, “You always know how to get my attention.”

She nodded, afraid of what words might come out of her mouth. He looked over her shoulder one more time before pulling her in for a gentle kiss. It was soft, sweet and short that Rey didn’t have time to process what had just happened. When he pulled away, she was still in shock from gesture that all she could do was stare up at him wide eyed.

“See you on the other side, kid,” he whispered in her ear before the military man came to collect her.

Rey was at a loss for words. _What had just happened?_

She was quiet the entire way as she stared off into the distance, wondering what had all happen in the pass hour. She looked down at her wrapped hand, thinking back to that night Ben had slain the zombie that was attack her. She wasn’t bit that was for sure, but what would happen if she was? Is that how this whole thing started? When they pulled into the high school, Rey noticed a black insignia that sent a chill down her spine. Hexagon with sixteen points piercing the center, the sign of the First Order, this could not be good.

Finn was separated from the girls for their examinations. Rose, Rey and Paige were to strip off all their clothes for inspection. Rey nervously stood behind the curtain slightly shivering from the cool tile under her feet. She tried her best to cover herself when the nurse came to examine her, but the nurse made her raise her arms above her head so she could check every inch. Rey had never felt more humiliated in her whole life. Granted it was just her and another woman, but the minor comments she made about her body made want to squirm. The nurse checked over her bandaged hand, cleaning it again before applying a new bandage. 

“Well, everything looks good,” the nurse said as she handed Rey scrubs to wear, “Just changed into these and we’ll be taking your blood tomorrow.”

She was reunited with Finn and the Tico sisters in a common area. They talk about their experiences, each as embarrassing as the next as they looked over their shoulders from time to time. Rey was surprised by the amount of youth there were in this new facility. There were a couple of older men and women, but a majority were made up of teens at least 14 and up. When lunch was served, everyone was given vitamins to take with their meals. The group was later informed that they need to eat a light supper since they would need to fast for their blood work. Finn was separated from them to the “male” wing of the school as Rose was placed with a bunch of girls her age. Paige and Rey took a cot next to each other and laid in silence. 

“She’ll be all right,” Rey assured her as she heard her friend slowly start to cry. 

“I know... I’m just still processing everything,” Paige said softly, “My parents are gone… and now we’re here… I just want to go back… you know…”

Rey reached out a hand to her friend in the dark.

“I’m here. No matter what,” she promised, “I won’t let anything happen to you or Rose.”

 

**~*~**

 

The second day, the people of Polk City were in Jacksonville was not bad. Admiral Ackbar’s division was a lot more friendly than Stonewall. Still, there were some limitations and push backs. For one, Han’s dog got taken away from him, in fear that he might be carrying the infection.

“It is just a precaution, sir,” the officer tried to explained as his men put a muzzle on Chewie, “This disease is known to travel through rats, and we just want to make sure everyone is safe.”

“Take that damn thing off of him!” Han shouted as Ben and Poe held him back, “If you’re looking for rats, than look for rats! Do you even see the size of him?!”

“Sir, it’s not just your dog, we have to confiscate all pets. We have other dogs, cats, and birds from your people as well. We’re doing this for your people’s safety.”

“Dad, it’s okay,” Ben tried to talk him down, “Chewie will be with us in no time.”

Han shrugged off the men and fixed his shirt before addressing the officer once more.

“Anything happens to him, I’ll gut you like the pig you are,” he growled before turning to his RV and slamming the door behind him.

Ben rolled his eyes and apologized for his dad’s behavior. When the men had left with the mastiff, Ben caught the pleading eyes of a dog that was scared to death, reminding him on how Rey looked when she left. Scared of the unknown and frighten on to what happens next. 

The compound they keep the people of Polk was separate from the main area of Jacksonville. It was a precaution, because they were outsiders coming into an area that was “clean.” Once everyone was checked out that hadn’t come in contact with a walker, then they could focus on slowly integrating everyone with their new community. Ben, Snap, and Sheriff Holdo all got their test results cleared and were allowed more access. It was a slow process, but a process nevertheless. This meant that the sheriff and her officers were allowed to attended classified meeting on what was going on in the outside world and learn how devastating this disease was effecting people.

“So far it is holding in North Carolina, but there is a chance that it might break into Indiana or West Virginia,” the admiral explained, “Dr. Armitage Hux is the man who is in charge of finding a cure, which why you may see the First Order insignia in some parts of the city. Those are marked as research facilities as well as sick bays. They provide us with supplies ever Tuesday that last us for about two weeks, but with now have a couple thousand more mouths to feed, it might take some more convincing.”

Ben looked over the file he was given as the sheriff speak her part.

“We understand the threat, but our people need a place to stay,” she defended, “When I learned that the military was going to leave us defenseless, Jacksonville seemed like our only option.”

“And I commend you for putting your people first, sheriff,” the admiral smiled, “and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure they are safe, but all we ask is for time and if tough decisions have to be made…”

“We’ll respect whatever you choose to do,” she responded. 

“Admiral,” Ben spoke up, “why don’t you have any of the progress Dr. Hux has been working on?”

“That is between him and the White House, I’m afraid. No one knows how far along he is or what he working on. Trying to talk to any of his First Order lackeys is like pulling teeth. They’re sworn to secrecy.”

“Why do you still have so many in quarantine?” he asked.

“Lot of those are new comers as well,” the admiral admitted, “Some just families looking for help, others towns like yours who have been hurt by this infection. It’s all precautions. So far, no one has ever come back with an infection.”

“Is there anyway someone could visit them? The father of the boy and girl you took is very concerned about them.”

“They’ll be reunited soon enough. I guarantee it.”

Ben closed the file and tucked it under his arm as they were dismissed.

 

**~*~**

 

In the line for lunch, Rey wanted nothing more than for the line to move faster.

“God! I could eat a whole cow!” she groaned.

“How many times did they prick you?” Finn asked as he poked his bandaid.

“Just the one time,” Rose answered as she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“They took at least 6 vials of blood from me,” he said.

“6? I only had 2,” Paige responded.

“Only 2? They took 4 from me,” Rose said to her sister.

“Same with me,” Rey said as she turned to her brother, “Why 6?”

He swallowed hard as she crossed her arms.

“Did something happen to you between going to Tico’s house and the chase?”

“Okay, so at one point that woman had me,” he admitted, “but she didn’t bit me. I have these little scars on my left shoulder from where he fingers dug in and that’s it.”

He pulled the collar of his scrubs to show the girls to show the bandage.

“When I was being examined the other day, the scraped off some of the skin to test it, but I’m sure everything is fine.”

“Finn, how could you’ve not said anything earlier?” Rey snapped as reached to pull the bandage, but Finn swatted her hand away. 

“Don’t touch it,” he bit back, “They just put some medicine on to help it heal.”

“They have something for the infection already?” Paige asked as she grabbed her tray.

“It’s an ointment. It’s supposed to help if there is one.”

Rey grabbed her tray as the server slipped something into her hand. It was a candy bar with a note attached to the underside. She kept it under her tray till they were seated and then slipped it into her pocket.

When they were dismissed to the common area, Rey excused herself to the restroom and took the note out with the candy bar. It was from Ben.

_Keep your ears to the ground. Something isn’t right. When the time comes, you might need to be a little lawbreaker._

_-Officer S._

Rey tossed the note down the toilet and looked over the candy bar. She couldn’t remember the last time she had something sweet. She peeled back the dark wrapper and took a whiff of the chocolate. Where ever Ben got this, she would have to thank him. Though she could think of many ways to thank him. She moaned as she took her first bite. The sweetness just melted into her mouth as her thighs rubbed together. Would it be bad to fantasize about a man that she had not only kiss, but had kissed her back? She closed her eyes as she slumped back on the toilet. 

She imagined they were back at the police station. Rey was in handcuffs, hands behind her back as Officer Solo filled out some papers. She imagined herself in her summer ware with her peach tank top and her short shorts from when he first arrested her. She imagined it a lot hotter, maybe the AC was broken and he was sweating more from the Florida heat. He’s not used to it being a man from New York. Rey shift slightly as she took another bite of her chocolate and imagined him with his shirt halfway undone, enough to show off the cress of his pecs. Rey giggled in the fantasy as she leaned back in her chair. 

_“You must have been really bored if you took me in,” she smirked as the officer looked up from his desk, “Not enough crime for a city slicker like you?”_

Rey took another bit of her candy bar and started to paw her tease her erect nipple through her shirt. She imagined his eyes would drift to them as they would poke through the soft cotton tank. She never really had a need for a bra. Her thighs continue to rub together to find some friction as her fantasy played out in her head.

_“What’s that matter, Officer?” she’d continued to tease, “Cat got your tongue?”_

_He stood up, walked around his desk to lean against and crossed his arms. The smirk from her face almost weaved when she saw the muscle bungling from either arm. Not to mention the one that growing in his pants._

“ _You’ve been a very naughty girl, Rey,” he would say as he’d remove his glasses, “and naughty girls need to be punished.”_

Rey let out a soft moan as dropped the wrapper on the floor and pulled up her shirt to caress her needy breasts.

_“What did you have in mind?” she dared to ask. She’d watch as he undo his belt, reach down his pants and pulled out his member._

_“Let’s see if will shut up your naughty mouth.”_

Rey sucked on two of her fingers as her other hand went south. She imagined he would be much larger than two fingers due to his size, but she wished she could taste him. She imagined it would be salty from his sweat and smell of his musk. She moaned again as she rubbed her clit.

_“That’s right,” he would smirk, “Take it all in.”_

_Gagging slightly, Rey relaxed her throat until he was all the way in._

_“See. It’s not hard being a good girl,” he’d say and slowly begin to fuck her mouth, “Your mouth could be used for better thing besides though filthy words you called.”_

_He pulled out, having her stuck her tongue out to tap the head on it, before putting back in her. She could smell his musk for the course, bundle of curls at the base of his cock. When he would hold her head still, she would take a deep inhale before he would release her. A long strand of spit connected his dick to her lips as she giggled._

_“Oh you like? Naughty girls don’t get to enjoy that.”_

Rey stood up and turned herself around. She lowered her pants as she leaned over the toilet to brace herself. Taking the two fingers she had in her mouth, she reached behind and started to fuck herself. In her mind, Officer Solo made her walk over to his desk and had pulled down her shorts to see the mess she was making. Taking his cock, he slowly entered her till she was filled to the brim and just began to fuck her.

_“You’re such a naughty girl. Law breakers like you get fucked like this,” he would groan as he’d grabbed on her cuffed hand for leverage. He was smack her as he’d fuck her. Her knees would be shaking as he’d be relentless. She’d be moaning as he’d cup her mouth._

_“Naughty girls shouldn’t be enjoying this. You’re a very bad girl, Rey. Are you going to come? Are you going to come for me.”_

“Shit, I’m coming,” she gasped to herself as she rubbed her clit. In her fantasy, Officer Solo made her get on her knees. Her mouth open wide, he would paint her face and tongue with his cum before calling her a good girl. Rey’s knees were shaky from how powerful her orgasm was. She wasn’t sure how she was going to last the rest of the week, but her fantasy would have to suffice until she saw a Ben again.

 

_**~*~** _

 

Ben looked over the records of people that had been submitted into the First Order “quarantine” bay and noticed a pattern. From every other week, the people who had left or were still quarantined would always be minus one person from their accounts. When he brought up with the sheriff, she too found it concerning.

“Couldn’t it just be someone had died?” Snap asked as they had lunch.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make sense, because they’ve accounted for the ones that have passed,” Ben said as he turned the next page. 

“Do you think the admiral knows?” Sheriff Holdo questioned as she handed the file back.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Holdo sighed as she cursed under her breath. 

“So what do you suggest we do? We can’t just leave. They’re watching us just as much as Stonewall’s men did,” Snap said as he bit his thumb. 

“I sent a message to the kids on the inside,” Ben replied, “If they see anything, they’ll let us know.”

“How?”

“They’re smart kids. They’ll figure it out.”

 

**~*~**

 

Rey tried her best to keep an ear to the ground, but it was kind of hard to sneak around when there seemed to be someone watching her every move.

“Getting antsy, Miss Dameron,” one of the nurse asked when she had tried to break into an office.

“Just dropped something,” she played it off before heading back to the common area. 

She only had two days left of her quarantine and she had nothing for Ben. Time was running out and the last thing she wanted was to disappoint him. If something wrong, then she had to find out what. On the fifth day of their quarantine, they did not see Finn till the middle of the day. He had new bandages on his shoulder as he groaned in pain. 

“They scraped more,” he said. 

“Did the mention an infection?” Rose asked as she rubbed his shoulder. 

“No. They haven’t said anything about that.”

“That’s good. I mean, no news is good news, right?”

“Thanks babe,” he smiled as he gave her a kiss as Paige gagged. Rey, however, felt unsettled by this. She tried not let it on, but she knew now, she had to find answers. 

She knew where the records were kept. So, when she excused herself to use the bathroom, she took the keycard she had swiped from an orderly she had flirted with on day 3 and waited until the coast was clear. When she entered the room, she found it filled with filing cabinets. She started with last names looking up Dameron and found hers and Finn’s file. From what she read, she was cleared to go. Finn on the other hand was due for more testing were scheduled for a mutation that was happening on his shoulder. She hardly understood the notes, but it didn’t seem good. It seemed to more that just a flesh wound that Finn experienced, but that he seemed to be missing skin. 

 _Not a threat yet_ made her skin go cold. 

Next she pulled were the Ticos. Both of their were normal, however Rose’s had a shipping number next to her name. She noted the date would be for tomorrow, just before their release. The insignia was stamped next to her photo as an approval for this order. Soon Rey felt like she was at a crossroads. Her brother was labeled as not a threat and his girlfriend was going to sent away to an unnamed facility for who knows what. She could chose not to do something, tell Ben what she knew, and blow this place or try to prevent two sisters from separating. She was crazy, but she did what she thought was right. She placed the files back where they belong and left the key card onto of the filing cabinet. For now, she would wait and hope she made the right decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some masturbation smut for you guys in there. Something to quench your thirst for some Reylo boinking. Our girl has it bad for him and being younger, she might do it more than him. *wink* I want to thank everyone for the support. Thank you to uh_no_thanks, nyrcella, Shiloh38, and ZiaLisa for your awesome comments. Over 1400 hits and 65 kudos. I can’t believe how well this is doing. Thank you all so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the next. Till next time.


	12. Escape

Two orderlies walked into one of the girls rooms. They had a cloth ready as they walked up to the cot. #6729 was on her wrist as she slept soundly. Her hair up in messy buns and her mouth hung open, the orderlies took either side. The first one covered her mouth and nose with the cloth as the other one grabbed her wrists to keep her from struggling. Eyes wide open now, the girl tried to kick them off but it was no use. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she was out like a light. The first orderly signaled the second one to carry her as he began to make the bed. Into the night, they took her to the truck with the First Order insignia on it. They transferred her body to a waiting man as he strapped her down to a stretcher. He tapped on the window to the driver and they headed off, out of town towards an unused hiking trail that lead to their hidden facility. Little do they know is that they were given the wrong girl.

 

**~*~**

 

“What do you mean she disappeared?!” Poe shouted as he was ready to charge the soldier.

“Sir, I’m telling you, we don’t know what happened and we’re doing everything in our power to get answers,” spoke their commander, “I suggest you just relax and...”

“Relax! My boy has a bandage for a possible infection! His sister, MY DAUGHTER, is missing and you mean to tell me, you don’t know anything?” 

“Dameron, cool it,” the sheriff warned, “Take a seat in the camper for a bit.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Amilyn!” he growled as he picked up a lawn chair and tossed at the soldiers.

“Wexley, take shorty here for a walk,” she commanded as approached the military group, “I’m sorry about my friend, but these kids mean everything to him. They were orphans when he took them in and he has no other family.”

“Ma’am, we understand that completely, but for now we ask you guys to be patience with us as we investigate this.”

“Take my man, Ben, and his dad,” she suggested, “They’ve looked into the First Order before. They might provide you with some information that could be helpful.”

There was a loud bang that came from the other side of the RV that made the sheriff roll her eyes.

“Excuse me.”

She went round back to find Poe barreling his fists at the side of the camper, leaving a nice size dent in it. She crossed her arms as she watched him throwing punches into it. Her jaw tightened. Men were the bane of this earth. Most of them couldn’t see reason beyond their nose and had to resort to violence. That was something Poe was good at. Being a man of action rather than waiting for someone else to pick up the pieces. She had nothing against Poe. In fact she was quite fond of him, but his temper blinded him rather than helped him. He would do anything for his kids. She remembered when tried to organize a search party for Rey when the thunderstorm was rolling in. He was too impatient to wait for help, and he ran out on his own. He came back soaking wet as he had shield little Rey under his coat from the rain. She watched the three fall asleep on the couch in his living room after the whole ordeal, exhausted but happy. Now, she was watching this man take out his frustration on Han’s home. With one final swing, he let out a frustrated cry before turning towards her. 

“Are you done?” Sheriff Holdo asked as she glared at Poe. He let out a sigh and looked over his knuckles. 

“Shit,” he chuckled, “I’m sorry, Amilyn. I don’t know what came over me...”

She nodded at a chair for him to sit while she went to retrieve the medical kit. They sat in silence as she tended to his knuckles. 

“I reminded this one call I got about this curly haired boy who took on this burly biker,” she smiled as closed the kit, “You had this massive shiner and a bloody nose, but you had this man pinned down to the ground as you just laid into him. When I pulled you off of him, his face was scarred and bruised from your fists.”

“Mom had died that day,” he replied as he looked up in her blue eyes, “He had said some pretty nasty things about her despite not knowing her. He wasn’t much of gentleman anyways.”

“You should be lucky they didn’t charge as an adult or you would have served some real jail time.”

“Well, you knew the judge,” he smirked as he held her hand. He released a shaky breath before he made his confession, “Amilyn, I’m scared... it was bad enough watching them take my kids from me and now knowing one is missing... it’s like that barn incident all over again.”

“I know, Poe,” she squeezed his hand, “but you need to keep a leveled head. Losing it like this, is not going to make them want to help. We’ll make sure she is back with you safe and sound.”

“Promise?”

“I give you my word. She’ll have every hair, every toe, and every finger in place.”

 

**~*~**

 

When Ben and Han arrived at the old high school with military personnel, he couldn’t shake this bad feeling he felt in the pit of his stomach. Rey was in danger or worse, and it was all his fault. Perhaps he should had rely his message to Paige or Finn, but now was not the time to think of that. He had to stay focus. Rey needed his help more than ever. To hell with his emotions, he had to think rationally. The sheriff, her father and brother were counting on him and his dad was ready to bury this organization.

“It’s like what they did with Lando all over again,” he smirked as the entered the facility, “He would have gotten a kick out of this.”

“Be serious, Dad,” Ben gritted as his old man nudged him.

“What are you talking about? Serious is my middle name,” he winked as Ben rolled his eyes.

They met with the head of the facility, Dr. Unamo, a pinch face woman with her hair pulled back in a tight bun. She looked rather cross to see the men in her makeshift facility, but was polite as she could bother to be.

“I can assure you men there was no fowl play,” she said as she folded her hands on her desk, “Our patients have been known to escape whether its to be with loved ones or they can’t handle their quarantine.”

“So, why not try to stop someone who escapes?” Ben asked as he leaned forward, “Someone with this infection could only make things worse.”

“You could say that, but we do have traps for the infected ones,” Dr. Unamo explained as she pulled out a photo for the men to look at, “Each of our untreated or currently in treatment infected are given an ankle bracelet. Through this we catch track their every move. If they are ever out of range, the bracelet gives them a lethal injection, killing them instantly, and their bodies are brought back to be incinerated.”

“And Rey...” Ben suddenly found it hard to talk, “was she one of your...”

“No,” Dr. Unamo answered blandly, “According to our records, she left this morning with her brother and the Tico twins?”

“Except, she didn’t arrive,” Han interjected, “Now listen here, lady. You either give us answers or you’ll be shut down!”

“And what authority do you have?” she smirked, “Admiral Ackbar is in charge of this district and from my understanding, he takes orders from us. First Order Enterprise is at the helm of this research. So I suggest you stand down and let the professionals do their job.”

“We’re just looking for answers, ma’am,” Ben tried to reason. 

“Why? Cause you’re some perverted 30 year old who has a thing for teenage girls?” she challenged as Ben stood up from his chair ready to lunge at her. Han grabbed hold of him before he could. 

“Let’s go, Ben,” he whispered, “Clearly she has no interest in helping us.”

He turned his son towards the door, but not before bumping the desk to knock over the hot cup of coffee she had, spilling the black contents over her documents and lap. 

“Whoops,” Han jested, “Hope that wasn’t anything important.”

On the way out, Ben almost didn’t notice the file that Han had hidden under his arm. On the label read the name Rose Tico and on the front in bold, red letters was the word CLASSIFIED.

They took the file back to the RV and opened it up. Both men were surprised when they saw Rey’s photo in place of Rose’s. On further investigation, they could see she even sloppily replaced the ID number, but kept the notes intact. How was this something that was over looked?

“Shit, Rey,” Ben sighed as he removed his glasses and pinched his nose bridge, “What kind of trouble did you get yourself into, now?”

“Testing facility transport approved,” Han read out loud, “89% match? Mutation gene detected.  Has sister, but no other family. Boy, they really fucked up.”

“Yeah, but there is no mention on where she was taken. Just some tracking number,” his son groaned, “For all we know she could be miles away from here.”

“Hey, don’t lose faith, bud,” Han said as he rubbed his back, “We’ll get her back and knowing Rey, she probably trying to figure out a way out right now.”

 

**~*~**

 

This was officially worse than getting trapped in the barn. Rey sat in a cage of her own. There were other cages next to her and across from her, but they were empty or the person in they was dead asleep. Rey sighed as she sat in her corner. Any time they pulled her out to give her shots or move her for more testing, they always blinded her. A bag over her head to keep her from knowing where she was going and earmuffs on her ears to muffle any recognizable sound. These people were being very cautious with what they were doing. She had met with the head of this facility, Dr. Mitaka, once when she first come in. This short man was very upset that she looked nothing like the girl in the picture. He grumbled about this happening before. He then ordered for the orderlies who took her to be killed.

Everyone at this facility seemed to be on edge. Some of the techs would jump at the smallest of sounds. It almost seemed like they were pressed for time. Rey never knew what time of day it, because meals were so sporadic and never saw a window. They kept her in what she assumed was the basement of the building and every room she ever saw just had whitewashed walls and a door. They tested her endorse, linking up to heart and brain monitors as she ran on a treadmill. They made her run until she passed out from exhaustion. When she would wake, she was back in her cage, alone and scared. She couldn’t imagine how Rose would have felt she had got through this alone. For now, Rey etched the sixth tic mark on the ground, assuming that that is how many days she had been in this facility. She knew the others would come for her. At least she knew her father would.

 

**~*~**

 

“I’m sorry, but there is nothing we can do,” Admiral Ackbar said as he slid the file back to the sheriff.

“Seriously!” Poe outcry, “That’s my daughter they have!”

“Yes, but this is something that they do,” the admiral explains, “as part of the agreement, we allow them to take at least one person to their main facility for their experiments. The most they take is maybe one a every other week and sometimes they don’t take any. They’re given orders not to separate families and exchange we get goods that we need to survive.”

“But she’s not alone!” Poe continued to press as his fist balled, “She’s mine!”

“I understand you’re hurting, but I have to think of the thousands I have to protect,” he said as he stood.

“Think of the good she is doing for us,” spoke a First Order representative, “Looking over her file, she seemed to be a better candidate for our tests.”

“You have no right holding,” Poe argues, “She’s not even 18. She needs a guardian’s consent to be apart of something like this. You hear that?! I DON’T CONSENT!”

“There is no need to yell,” the woman said. 

“Well, maybe you’re deaf!”

“Poe, please,” the sheriff sighed as she stood up, “We thank you for your time admiral. Maybe we can come to a better solution at a different time.”

“I’m sorry,” he replied, “I wish there was more I could do.”

Ben’s heart fell as they left the admiral’s office. It was starting to feel hopeless. Nearly a two weeks without Rey and the world was starting to look bleak. He should have just let her wait her time out and not have said anything at all. Other the hand, she may have ended up saving a friend’s life. As they were about to leave the building, a military officer called after them and handed a note to Poe.

“I believe you dropped this, sir,” he said before he left.

When they got outside, Poe opened the note and looked stunned. He passed the note to the sheriff and she smiled.

“Looks like the admiral is still on our side.”

 

**~*~**

 

Finn saw his father, Han, and Officer Solo taking count of ammo and weapons. When he approached, he asked what was happening.

“Nothing for you to worry about, son,” Poe assured him.

“Is this about Rey. Do you know where she is at?”

“Finn, just head back to bed.”

“No!” he shouted, “Look it’s my fault she’s in this mess, I should do something. She’s my sister...”

“I understand that,” Poe said as he got up to comfort his son, “but I need you here, looking after that shoulder of yours and the Ticos. Snap may not be able to hold down the fort on his own.”

“So, it’s going to be the three of you taking on the First Order?”

“Make it four and you’d be right,” Sheriff Holdo added as she cocked her shotgun.

“Amilyn?” Poe was shocked as Ben just chuckled.

“What? Can’t let you boys have all the fun,” she turned to Snap, “I need you round up as many people that are willing to leave. After this, we won’t be able to stay here much longer. We’ll meet y’all back here. Get to engine ready.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They made the long walk back to the high school where a military officer and an orderly were waiting for them outside. Handing them a couple of flashlights and they lead them to the abandoned walking trail.

“It’s at least a 5 mile walk from here,” the young orderly said, “Just stay on this path and you should get there before sun up,” the orderly handed Ben a map of the building inside, “She possible being held in this lower area. That’s where they used to keep the old test subjects.”

“Old test subjects?” the sheriff questioned.

“You’ll know soon enough,” the orderly replied, “Use this door here. It’ll be unlock to get you guys in. If all goes well, you won’t have to use any bullets. Good luck.”

The trek up to the old facility. There was a chain link fence surrounding it and barbed wires on top to keep anyone from getting in or out. The group walked along the fence till found a small opening. After they took turns digging under it, Poe volunteered to go first and find another way for they in. He opened a large gate from the inside to help get the rest in. For a top secret facility, there were no guards anywhere and from the looks of it, the few security cameras they saw had been shot out. Han found the unlock backdoor and checked to make sure the coast was clear. Poe gagged at the awful rotting smell that hit his nose.

“God, What is that?” he whispered as they cover their mouths and noses with bandannas.

“Probably something we don’t want to know,” Han coughed.

Ben looked over the map and led the way. Down dark halls and pausing when they heard footsteps, they found their way to the basement. They stood in awe of the line of cages that seem to go on forever. Finding a clip board, Ben hoped they would list Rey’s name somewhere, but all they saw were numbers.

“Okay, so we spilt up,” the sheriff said, “At least like 8 rows? We each take two. We start down one and work our way back up another one. Be on your guard.”

Ben kept his gun pointed to the ground as he walked slowly, eyeing every cage as he walked by. It was a sad sight to see, so many empty cages and some with just unconscious victims. The humming of the fluorescent light above him was the only sound he heard. The stillness of it all put him on edge as well, as if anything could come out and attack him. Then he heard a scratching noise that perked his interest. He followed it until he found her, huddled in a corner grinding something into the ground.

“Rey,” he said softly as he removed his bandanna. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Ben!” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and reaching for him through the cage, “You came! I knew you would! Oh God!”

She grabbed hold on his shirt to pull him in for a kiss, but stopped her.

“Let me get you out of here first,” he said and she nodded frantically.

Stepping back, Ben used the butt of his shot gun to break the rusting lock and opened her cage. Rey ran into his arms, hugging him close as she sniffled softly.

“Oh my god, Ben, you have no idea what goes on here,” she said as he held her close.

“It’s over now,” he assured, “We’re getting you out of here.”

“We?” she asked and as if on cue, her father turned the corner and ran towards her. He picked her up and spun her around before clasping to his knees. He looked her over, weeping at how thankful she was all right.

“Told you, Poe,” the sheriff smiled as her and Han joined them.

“Thank God,” he sighed as he held his daughter.

“We better not stay too long,” Han said as he noted the clock on the wall, “Someone might be here soon. Sun will be coming up and I’m sure they don’t want to see you out.”

“Stay between us, okay,” Ben said to her.

They made their way back slowly, taking dark hallways and hiding in a closet or two if they heard someone coming. Rey held onto Ben’s shirt the entire time as they inched closer and closer to the exit. Freedom was in their grasp as Han reached for the door. Sirens went off as soon as the door was opened. The group made a bolt for it as they raced a crossed the yard to get to the open gate. They heard shots being fired, but no one got hit. The sheriff lead the way to the abandoned trail and they didn’t stop. Han and Poe shot off a few times behind they, taking out a couple of untrained lab techs who had never held a gun in their lives. Ben’s chest was burning by the time they actually stopped, every collapsing to catch their breaths. Rey on the other hand was all smiles. Happy to once again be reunited with her loved one as Poe held her close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter for you guys who had been waiting for an update. Thank you for over 1500 hits and 66 kudos. I had no idea there were so many people who loved zombies. Crazy. I want to thank uh_no_thanks, nyrcella, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, and Shiloh38 for your awesome comments. If you guys are enjoying this fic or have any suggestions on how to make it better, please leave your comments below. I always read them and will try to respond the best way that I can. Thank you all again. Writing this is such a treat. Until next time.


	13. An Eye for an Eye

Dr. Mitaka had to pick up the pieces. Their best test subject has escaped and there was going to be hell to pay. Just from the week she was here, she had build up a strong immunity to the disease they had created. The chemicals she would inhale during their test showed no effect on her which could have been valuable. Now, she was out of their hands, slipping out of sight. When the techs were sent after her and her rescuers, he cursed them for firing their guns at them. If they hit her, then all would have been lost.

He tossed aside to bits of papers in rage and cried out in his office. Why? Had he known better, he would have not left her with the others. He should have contacted Dr. Hux sooner, transported her to New York where they could have continued the test, but now... it was too late. He cursed this disease. He cursed his job. He cursed his boss for his madness. He even cursed death itself for being the reason behind all of this.

The door to his office opened as he tore it apart. He turned to find his superiors had entered, both looking clean and well rested, none too pleased to see him though. 

“Gwen... Armitage...” Dr. Mitaka gasped as he straightened his coat and hair, “I wasn’t expecting you till next week. So sorry about the mess... Work has been... difficult...”

“When I read your last report, Dopheld,” Dr. Hux started as he slowly walked around him, “you said you had come up with some miracle break through with your latest patient.”

“Well... yes, the serum we used actually took hold and mutated her genes to make her tolerable to withstand the outbreak, but we didn’t get a chance to truly test her.”

“So, what happened?” Dr. Hux asked as he picked up a glass from a little bar and poured some whiskey into it before approaching Dr. Mitaka. It had been months since he was locked away in this facility. He almost forget how tall Dr. Hux was compared to him. For someone who he once called his equal, it was quite frightening to have him mere meters away from him. The doctor slowly sipped his drink as Dr. Mitaka swallowed hard.

“Well... there was break in...”

“A break in,” he repeated as he swirled the liquid in his glass.

“Well... I did ask for new security cameras as well as a security team... And I know you just got that grant not too long ago, so... Maybe... umm... spread the wealth?”

Dr. Hux chuckled, starting from the back of his throat and then releasing it till it filled the whole room. Dr. Mitaka nervously joined in, not sure how to feel about this, but would take the laughter as a good sign. Maybe Armitage was in a forgiving mood. So what if the girl was gone? That didn’t mean that their research was for not. He was sure another subject would come in soon enough to be just as compatible as her. 

Then, Dr. Hux smashed the glass into the side of his face. Shards landed in his left eye as he screamed. He fell to the ground as blood dripped down his face.

“Pathetic Dopheld. You had such high hopes in your team and you couldn’t keep one girl from escaping. Barely holding her for a week,” Dr. Hux sneered as he dig his heel into the bleeding man’s cheek, “So self-centered. Can’t you think of anyone but yourself for once?”

Dr. Hux nod Dr. Phasma over. With her gloved hands, she cupped Dr. Mitaka’s chin and looked him over with a smile. She licked a bit of his blood off his cheek before kissing his lips.

“I’ve missed you, darling,” she whispered as she took a pair of tweezers to pull the bits of glass from his face. He blubbered from the pain as Dr. Hux wiped his hands off and picked up bits of Dr. Mitaka’s research.

“Not all is lost though, right Dopheld?” he said as he walked back over to the pair, “She’s out there, right? Living, breathing. Someone will find out soon what she can do though, right? And then, what will happen to us?”

Dr. Mitaka winced as Dr. Phasma started to pull the glass from his eye.

“Tell you what, I’ll get you the security that you need here, if you can personally deliver this girl to me,” Dr. Hux offered, “Not like you’re really getting any work done here now. Better yet, I think it’s what you should be doing now.”

“Yes, Armitage,” he winced again as Dr. Phasma pulled the final piece of glass.

“Good,” the doctor smirked, “Gwen, if you could begin the extraction.”

“The what?” Dr. Mitaka gasped as Dr. Phasma straddled him, placing all her weight on his chest and locking her legs on his arms. Something he would have taken great pleasure in now was horrifying. She pulled out what looked like a spoon and gave an endearing smile.

“Try not to scream,” she said, “It’ll only make it hurt more.” 

 

**~*~**

 

Atlanta turned out to be a bust after the first week they had arrived. The military had be moved further north, leaving Stonewall in charge, so of course the small party was refused clearance.

“ _You know,_ ” he had told them with a smirk, “ _They’re actually looking for an experiment that escaped. Some girl about 5’6”, 5’7” with brown hair, hazel eyes, and freckles. I think she might have been your daughter._ ”

He had singled out Poe in order to get a reaction, but Sheriff Holdo wouldn’t allow it. Instead, she thanked him for his time and made their team move out. 

So, they went north, stopping in Chattanooga. For most part to city was abandoned. There were still a few people here and there. Some who had created their own compounds. Some used the walkers as ornaments or warnings in their makeshift gated areas. The group came upon a motel that had been abandoned. It’s owners long dead and left for the buzzers to pick at. They found four of the rooms had not been gutted out, still holding their beds, pillows and blankets. This going to be their new home for a while or at least they could come up with a better idea on what they were doing. For now, the plan was to keep as much of a low profile as possible.

The first thing that needed to happen was a wall. They needed to create a barrier from the outside to keep intruders as well as walkers away. The sooner they had that up the better. The sheriff didn’t trust any of their neighbors especially the ones who proudly hung dead bodies in front of their forts. Rooms were divided, the girls in one, the boys in the other and there would be watch duties as well with Sheriff Holdo and Han taking the first 3 hours. Rey laid in her bed wide awake as Rose and Paige slept soundly. 

She couldn’t shake this awful feeling of something terrible that was going to happen now that they were looking for her. What could they possibly want from her? Everything that they had done to her was kept under wraps. She wasn’t allowed to know any of the procedures or given any warning about the shots they were injecting her with. She didn’t feel any different though, not like she was Captain America with super strength. At least, that’s what she thought. She got up from her bed and slowly crept out of the room. The air was chilly as she zipped up her hoodie. Very different from nighttimes in Florida, she could almost see her breath. She walked around the motel and found a gate with a small opening. She took a deep breath, not believing what she was about to do. With her bat in hand, she crawled through the space and walked towards the wooded area that was behind their new home. 

Rey was grateful for the moon to be out for once, being the only light she had. She climbed over a log as she came upon a clearly. There was nothing, but a death field in front of her. Her heart was pounding as she paced around. She took a couple of practice swings as she waited for something to happen. She was too afraid to venture out any further, not knowing the area and from where she was, she could still see the back of the cozy motel.

“Come on,” she whispered to herself, “The one time I need something to happen and nothing is happening.”

She sat on the cold ground and looked over the bat in her hand. Her lucky bat as she had called it when she hit her first home run. She didn’t want to use any other bat after that day and now, it had proved more of its worth with bits of blood splattered on the wood. Who knew this would come in handy in her time of need? She looked up to the sky, finding it clear as the stars shone down on her. She couldn’t remember the last time she took the time to just admire them, to enjoy the night sky and all that it had to offer. It reminded her of the camping trips Poe would take her and Finn on every summer, where he would share stories about each constellations. They didn’t take one this year or the year before, because of her softball schedule and Finn’s new job. Now when would they have the time to do something like that again? She sniffled softly to herself as the tears formed. She knew her life would be changing once she graduated high school, but never would she have thought it would change this way. All those wasted fights and arguments with her father and brother seemed pointless now. She should have been a better daughter to Poe and a better sister to Finn. She should have protected him better when he was first attacked and she shouldn’t have been so rebellious to her father in the past. The world seemed to be ending and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Rey,” she heard the soft timbre of Ben’s voice, making her jump to her feet and wipe her eyes.

“Ben,” she sniffled, “what are you doing out here?”

“I should be asking you the same thing,” he said as he approached her with his shotgun to his side, “You should be in bed.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she fumbled, looking down at the bat in her hand, “so I needed to get some air.”

“You could have done that in the fort,” he scolded, “Do you have any idea what kind of danger you could put yourself in by being out here?”

“Don’t yell at me,” she sobbed, glaring up at him through her tears, “I’ve done some stupid things before so why should it matter?”

“Because we’re in this together, Rey,” he said as he touched her shoulder, “Whatever this is, we’ll get through it together, but you can’t keep doing this. Your dad was ready to make heads roll when you didn’t come back from being quarantined. Think of what he’ll do now if something were to happen now.”

“But... I have to know...” she whimpered, “I need to know... what do they want from me... what did they do to me...”

Ben pulled her close, making her drop her bat and wrap her arms around his waist.

“You don’t know what it was like it there,” she continued, “They never let me know anything. They treated me like I was some common lab rat... And the others that didn’t survive, they would just drag their bodies on the floor... Tossing them out like they were nothing... I was scared... I’ve never felt so alone.”

“You’re not alone,” he whispered into her hair, making her finally look up at him. His brown eyes were soft, filled with concern for her. If her heart was racing in fear early, it was now racing from the amount of emotion Ben was showing her just by simply looking at her.

“Neither are,” Rey replied, cupping his face and pulling him down. He did not resist, instead he fully closed his eyes and accepted this fate. When their lips met, the world seemed to settle into stillness. The worries of her world washed away in that moment as Ben molded her body into his. She wanted to deepen the kiss, but he pulled away before she had a chance.

“Let’s get you back before your old man finds out what we’re doing,” he whispered against her lips.

“Why should it matter?”

“I don’t think he would like to see his teenage daughter being kissed by a man 10 years her senior,” he chuckled.

Rey blushed and giggled.

“I’m sure he’ll warm up to it eventually,” she added as she picked up her bat.

Ben offered her his hand as they walked back to the motel. He led her back to the room she was staying, but she wouldn’t let go of his hand.

“I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered, eyeing the room Ben shared with his father.

“You won’t be,” he replied as his kissed her forehead, “Come over anytime you want company.”

 

**~*~**

 

Dr. Mitaka had gain consciousness after some time. He groan from this headache pierced his skull. He slowly stood. He noted his vision was fuzzy. He ambled for a while before he finally came upon a mirror. He gasped at the reflection he saw. He was missing his left eye. The hole just left open as a mockery. He had been deformed as a reminder of his slip up, a punishment. He had lost sight of what he was supposed to be doing and allowed it all to come crumbling down. This was his fault. All of this was his doing. He whimpered softly to himself as he ambled over to his own medical kit. Now that they had a part of him, he had to go through with this. He would find the girl, no matter what it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry this chapter isn’t as long as the last, but it’s a needed update. Poor Dr. Mitaka may have bitten off more than he could chew and Rey and Ben are just getting closer. Excuse me for using my favorite lines from Last Jedi. Thanks to AblaStarGazer, zombie_queen, uh_no_thanks, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, nyrcella, and Shiloh38 for your awesome comments. Thanks to over 1600 hits on this fic and 71 kudos. I can’t believe how well this story is doing. I’m glad there are still other that are still into this. Please leave any comments that you can. Thank you so much again everyone. I couldn’t imagine this doing as well. Here’s to more zombies and smut in the future.


	14. Wait

**Two weeks later...**

Supplies were running low and Finn was starting to complain about a sharp pain that shot through his arm every once in a while. His arm would lock up depending on what he was doing and though his wound was scabbing over, it didn’t have the healthiest color. It was time to go beyond their walls and look for food and medical supplies. They didn’t know the area very well and would be lucky if they found anything out there. Snap was left in charge of their fort. Holdo, Han, and Ben were going to hunt for supplies while Poe took Paige on a hunt. Rey volunteered to go out as well.

“You would better used to stay here,” her father told her, “Stay away from where anyone can see you.”

“My brother needs help and I know what to look for to get him the treatment he needs,” she argued. Sheriff Holdo didn’t have a problem with that and promised that she would come back in one piece. Chewie whined as his masters left him behind, but stood by Finn’s side knowing the pain he must have been going through. She gave her brother one more hug, telling him to stay strong as they went beyond the wall. 

A few miles ahead of them, they came upon a CVS that had been raided. They fortunate that it hadn’t been completely cleaned out. Bandages, pills, bread that didn’t have mold were all here. Grabbing a few bags, they gathered what they needed. As she looking over antiseptics, Rey spied a box with Trojan written on the top. She looked over her shoulder to find the others gathering items as Ben watched the door in case someone decided to surprise them. Her mouth was suddenly dry as she tried to swallow. Holdo made it very clear to Rose and Finn that they couldn’t afford to feed another mouth when she catch them with their pants down in the RV. She wouldn’t be helping the situation if she came back with these, but why should her brother have all the fun. 

“Let’s get moving,” the sheriff called, “Sun is starting to set.”

Rey made a last minute decision and tugged the condoms into her hoodie before anyone else knew. It was her little secret. 

 

**~*~**

 

Perhaps he shouldn’t have encouraged he to come and visit him, because ever since that night he found her in the woods, she’d find a way into his bed. Nothing happened of course. Rey would just wrap herself in his arms and sleep and he would wake when it was time for his turn on the watch. Still, it was comforting to have a warm body to cling to at night. Despite her age, he couldn’t help but notice her body looked more and more womanly to him. The curve of her hip fit perfectly in the palm of his hand and he happened to spy the pink of her nipples through her large shirt she slept with. Ben had to relieve himself in the bathroom while she slept to keep her from knowing his true desires for her. It wasn’t right, not at this time and not while she was still so young. He’d bite into his white shirt as he took him, grunting softly as he’d imagine what it would be like to have her. Legs spread over his shoulders as she cry out his name. 

“ _Ben... Ben... Ben..._ ”

“Ben?” He jumped when he found her at the doorway, trying his best to cover himself up. Her cheeks blushed as she turned away in embarrassment. 

“It’s not what you think,” he said quickly as he heard stifle a giggle. 

“I think I know what I just saw,” she teased as Ben felt himself turning red. She turned back around and eyed him up and down. She walked up to him, her eyes never leaving his throbbing cock. She seemed curious to say the least. 

“Tell what you were thinking about,” she said as her fingers grazed over the patch of course curls.

“You,” he admitted shamefully, making her look up at him. She gave him a genuine smile as her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Me?”

“I mean... it’s just... I... I...” Well she hadn’t made a run for it yet, might as well let it all out. “I like you, Rey... a lot... in fact I’ve liked you for a really long time...”

“I like you too, Ben,” she replied as her eyes drifted back to his cock, red and wanting whatever waited between her legs. She shifted to her knees and Ben tried to stop her. 

“Rey don’t...” but it was too last as her hand grasped the base of his cock and she took a couple of timid licks of the head. Then she licked the underside of his cock up to the tip and he had to grip the sink for balance. He groaned as her lips sucked on the head like she had done with the popsicle this past summer. He had fantasies about her mouth, but never would imagine it would happen this way. He watched through half open lids as she slowly became more confident in what she was doing. Whatever her mouth couldn’t take, she used her hand to get the rest. She met his gaze with watery eyes as her other hand seemed to occupied with whatever was happening between her legs. 

“Let me see your tits,” he groaned, making her freeze. She released him with an audible pop before she grabbed either side of her large shirt. She tossed off to the side and blushed. 

“They’re... they’re not very big...” she said nervously, “ummm... so there’s not much...”

“They’re beautiful,” he replied as he stroked himself, her eye wide as he touched himself, “Open your mouth. Tongue out. I’m very close.”

She did as she was told as he painted her pretty tongue with his spent, groaning at how good this orgasm felt. She held her mouth open for a while before wrapping her mouth around the tip to give one last suck. She opened her mouth once more to reveal she had swallowed everything he had given her. He looked down at his watch. It was nearly 4am and Han still had another half hour till he turned in. 

“Over to the bed,” he said as he adjusted his sweats, “Get rid of those shorts.”

He watch her stand up on shaky legs and do as she was told.

“Ummm... it’s not really nice... down there,” Rey said timidly as she kept her legs close. 

Ben kissed her as he was his turn to be on his knees. 

“I don’t mind,” he smirked as his forehead rested against her, his hands rubbing her thighs, “You could always say no.”

Her whole face seemed to be red from what he was offering to do, but trembled with excitement. This is what she wanted after all. She relaxed her legs, giving him a chance to open them and look at the brown nest that was there. She was shaking as he kissed her again before letting his finger graze her lips.

“You’re already so wet,” he sighed against her lips, “May I?”

She nodded, not entirely sure what he was about to do, but wanted him to down whatever he wanted to her. Consequences be damned, this mattered more than anything else she could think of. He slowly inserted his middle finger into her, gasping as her walls contracted around him.

“So tight,” he groaned. He wished he could savor this moment, but there was no time. His thumb landed on her clit and began to slowly rub it as his finger rubbed the roof of her pussy. Rey’s thighs twitched as Ben kissed her jawline and neck.

“I wish you could fuck me,” she admitted, “I’ve wanted this... for so... long...”

She gasped when his mouth found its way of her breast. This was too much. All this stimulation was too much. Her core started to tighten as something seemed to draw closer. She wished she had the condoms, but this was just as good. Ben caressing her, kissing her, and fingering her was more than enough.

“Ben... I’m... I’m coming,” she sighed as her legs quaked and her back arched. Her toes curled into the shag carpet under her as she dug her fingers into bed sheets, nearly pulling them off the mattress.

“Good girl,” he praised her as he drew his finger out from her. A clear line broke as he brought the finger to his mouth and licked it. She flung her arms around him and kissed him fiercely. She wasn’t ready to stop as she pulled him on top of her. In fact, she wanted more as she reached for his sweats, but he stopped, pinning her hands over her head and straddling her waist.

“Not yet,” he said.

“Ben...”

“Not till your 18,” he commanded, his voice suddenly deeper, making a chill run down her spine, “Gather your things and get back to your room. I’ll distract Han, okay?”

 

**~*~**

 

Poe was worried. His son’s arm wasn’t getting any better and winter would be upon them soon. So far, none of the other compounds had paid them much mind as they set out to scavenge again. Painkillers was what they needed now as the came upon another drug store. Ben kept watch for them as they gathered their items. The pickings were getting slice, but at least they were able to find what they needed.

“Ain’t polite to steal,” came a voice from behind them, making the sheriff, Han, and Poe jumped to the feet as Rey screamed.

A tall, lanky man had an arm wrapped around her neck and a gun pointed at her cheek.

“Let her go,” Poe growled as pointed his pistol at the man.

“Or what? Ya gonna blast me?” he chuckled, “Since y’all don’t know how to read, I think I’ll just spell it out for ya. You take from us, we take from you.”

“You don’t want to do that,” Ben responded as he pointed his shotgun at the man, “There is four of us against you. I think it’s best you let the girl go.”

“Oh, is that what y’all think,” the man smiled showing off his yellow grin, “I ain’t dumb. Y’all is surrounded by the Clan. There are ten of us against the four of you.”

“Please,” Rey whimpered, “You’re hurting me.”

“Hush, pretty girl,” the man whispered in her hair, “Papa’s gonna take good care of you.”

“Let her go!” Poe shouted again as he cocked his gun, “Or I’ll put a bullet in your head!”

“Poe, put the gun down,” the sheriff commanded. Poe eyed Amilyn as she nodded. Something in her eyes said that she had a plan. “Listen, Mister...”

“Bodhi Rook.”

“Okay, Bodhi,” the sheriff started, “we had no idea we had stepped into someone’s territory.”

“The tag shoulda told ya,” he said as his left eye twitched, “Jabba don’t take kindly to people trespassing.”

“Jabba? Is he the one in charge of the Clan?” she asked as she slowly approached. She signal to Han to duck behind a shelf as Ben lowered his shotgun. 

“Yeah.”

“He must be a powerful and wise leader to entrust you with this area...” she kept talking to him as Han found a way behind this intruder. He watched his steps as to not disrupt the conversation this creep was so invested in. Whoever this Jabba character was, Han hoped to never meet him. He made eye contact with his son and nodded as Poe started to interject the conversation. He riled up their guest as Rey sobbed softly. Bodhi made one more threat to blow her brains out and Han took the plunge. He grabbed the man, wrestling for the gun as he let Rey go. She grabbed her bat and aimed for the man’s kneecaps. When Han did get the gun, he realized that it wasn’t loaded at all and the man started to laugh.

“Y’all is so stupid,” Bodhi chuckled, “Ain’t no reason to survive. They’ve given up on us. Which means you should too.”

Rey hit the man in the head before he could say anything else and let her anger flow. She landed hit after hit till his brains spilled all over the floor. Poe grabbed hold of her to calm her down. He made her drop her bat until she was sobbing mess.

Back at the fort, Rey locked herself in her room, not wanting to be bothered by anyone. Poe looked up into the sky, trying his hardest not to think about what his daughter just went through.

“You got to give her one thing,” Amilyn said as she sat next to him, “Your girl has spunk.”

“No kid should go through what she has gone through,” Poe sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, “When, I chose to be a foster parent, I made sure I did everything right to impress the government... and now, I have daughter who is constantly on edge and a son who might be losing an arm.”

“Poe, you’re too hard on yourself,” the sheriff said as she placed her hand on his knee, “Those kids love you more than anything else in the world. They know you would do anything to keep them safe.”

“But when is it enough, Ami? My kids need to be safe.”

“And they are,” she assured him, “You should give yourself more credit. Look, I made an oath to you that I would make sure your kids are safe. For Finn, we’ll find him a cure and for Rey, we’ll find the assurance she needs.”

 

**~*~**

 

Ben held Rey close to him as she sobbed in his chest. She was still shaken over what had happened earlier that day.

“I shouldn’t have killed him,” she wept, “but I was so scare of all the things he said and his people...”

“Shhh...” he stroked her hair as they laid on the lumpy mattress, “no one is blaming you for anything.”

“All I could think about was what if he hurt you,” she said finally looking up at him. Her eyes puffy and red as she wiped her nose with her sleeve, “I couldn’t live with myself if anything were to happen to you.”

“Same,” Ben answered, “If you hadn’t gotten to him first, I would have shoved me barrel down his throat and eat lead.”

Her hazel eyes bore down into him as she straddled his waist to kiss him. His heart never felt more full in his whole life. Figured he should be grateful for this zombie apocalypse, because right now he’s kissing the prettiest young woman he’s ever had the pleasure of kissing.

 

**~*~**

 

The Clan had eyes everywhere. Jabba was none too pleased to find one of his informants dead. He knew the small group wasn’t a threat. They could easily be squashed. For now, he had to buy his time with them. Winter was coming and if they weren’t prepared for it, then they won’t last the season. He rubbed the fat under his chin as he thought. According to what he had learned, they have an infected to boy. Hmmm... the boy could come in handy at the right time. He sat back on his makeshift throne as his servants brought him his meal. For now, it was time to wait. Waiting usually helped him in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise update, because I really wanted to post some smut. I hope for the most part you all approve. It’s not much, but it gives us a taste of the lust these two have for each other and maybe even something more. Thank you to nyrcella, uh_no_thanks, Zombie_Queen, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, anniesscribles, and AlbaStarGazer for your awesome comments. Thank you for over 1700 hits and 73 kudos. I still can’t believe how well this fic is doing. Thank you all so much for your support. Perhaps the next chapter might be a little bit longer, but hey, a chapter is a chapter. And I know everyone has been waiting for a taste of smut. Don’t worry, there is more coming. ❤️


	15. Diseased One

‘She is probably growing stronger,’ Dr. Hux thought to himself as he study the test results once more, ‘Perhaps stronger than she know.’

He swirled the dark liquid in the vail with her name. REY in Dopheld’s choppy handwriting. He chuckled. How ironic that their only ray of hope would be named Rey. He stood up from his desk and pocketed the veil. Her blood must not be tampered with. It was too crucial to this survival if she held the key to it. The government had asked if he needed anything else as the out break had seemed to hold in the southern states. He looked at the last report that Indiana would be breached any day now, but paid it no mind. Who really cared about Indiana anyway? He sat back in his chair and rolled up the sleeve where he was bitten. The mark still purple from the bruise, but the infection had yet to clear. If they had put the girl in the room with a zombie, would she have met the same fate as him? 

He sighed as rubbed over the mark. Only time would tell if he would end up keeping the arm or not, but for now, he knew one thing that was true. Through his computer he sent out an urgent message. 

**High Alert! Be On The Lookout For This Girl! Contaminated! If Spotted, Report To Your Nearest First Order Facility!**

With one simple click, the message was sent. The military roamers would be in contact with him soon enough and she would be his at last.

 

**~*~**

 

Rey had had dreams about this, but never in a million years would she thought it was happen. After their first heavy petting session, something seemed to awaken her and Ben from that moment. Now here she was naked again and his mouth devoured her pussy. His tongue lapped away at her entrance as his nose bumped her clit from time to time. Rey bit down on her lip to keep herself from crying out. Who knows how thin these walls were? He seemed to be enjoying as much as her as he would release a groan or two anytime Rey tugged on his thick locks. Her mind would often drift to the what if part of her brain as she thought of the condoms she had hidden under her mattress in the other room. However, Ben made it very clear that he had no interest in penetrating her just yet. Her birthday was in three months and if Ben continued to do what he was doing with his mouth, she wasn’t sure if she would be ready for his cock. She arched her back and curled her toes as her orgasm hit her like a wave from the ocean. She soft moans filled the early morning air as Ben drank her whole. With a goofy grin, he kissed her abdomen as he rested his chin on her stomach.

“How was that?” he asked as he watched her catch her breath.

“Wow...” she sighed as he joined on the pillows, “I never... Oh my... I’m still tingly.”

Ben chuckled as he climbed up to kissed her forehead before pulling her into his chest. All of this felt right. Rey kissed along his neck as she straddled his waist, finding him hard under his sweats.

“Something you need help with?” she smirked.

“I’ll take care of it later,” he answered as he pulled in for a kiss, however that didn’t stop her curiosity as she rolled her hips against him. Ben groaned as he pulled back from the kiss. “Don’t...”

“Don’t what?” She rolled her hips again, pushing more weight down as her sensitive clit seemed to like the cotton fabric.

“That,” he said sharply as he gripped her hips, “I told you, I’ll take care of it later.”

“It’s not like your penetrating me now, Ben,” she said in a soft tone as she rolled her hips again, “Beside, I like how it feels.”

He bit back a moan as Rey found a rhythm she liked. She smiled as she watched his cheeks color, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as she ground against him. It was sort of nice to be in control. She moaned when the rubbing hit her just right, throwing her head back and closed her eyes as her legs locked either side of him. She had often imagine them doing this except his cock would be buried deep inside rather than her dry humping him. She felt Ben’s grip on her hips tighten, sure to leave bruises if anyone were to see. She opened her eyes to find him nearly red in the face to what they were doing. His hips raising to meet hers as stimulated what thrust would be like.

“Shit,” he groaned as he watch her cup her breasts. Rey looked down where they met and saw the wet stain forming. He had come just for this and Rey was a giggly mess as she slid from his lap. He shucked his sweats off and tossed them to the other end of the motel room before pouncing on her with kisses. 

“When I say No, young lady,” he growled in her ear, “I mean No.”

“Funny,” she smirked, “You didn’t seem to put up much of a fight.”

He lightly nipped making her shriek before they settled into a laughing fit. It was so easy to do this, just being in each other presence for a while to relieve the stress of the day before and just enjoy each other company. 

“Come on,” he said as he dragging her to the bathroom. He turned the faucet, making the shower rain down in the small mildew tub. After he tested the water and pulled her in allowing the warm water the wash over them. She enjoyed the warm water as soaked her hair. Ben handed her a small bar of soap to wash with as he grabbed a small bottle of shampoo to wash her hair. Rey hummed softly as he worked his fingers through her knots, untangling them till whatever dirt was in the was washed away. After they were clean, Ben pulled in her close and held as the steam built up around them. Rey loved this about him, how tender and gentle he could be. That he never expected anything from her after their first night and was mindful of her needs. When they were with the others, he kept his distance, not wanting to show too much favoritism in her or to draw attention to the budding romance. However, here, in this quiet space, it was just them. No monsters out to get them, no crazy people wanting to kill them, no mad scientists out to get her. It was just them. 

Soon, there was a loud bang at the door. It couldn’t have been Han. It was too early. Panic came over Rey as Ben reached to turn off the water. He handed her a towel and told her to stay in the bathroom. She held her breath as Ben grabbed a pair of jeans from the floor and threw them on. She peeked through the crack of the door to find the sheriff standing there. 

“It’s Finn,” she said quickly, “We can’t find him.”

 

**~*~**

 

Finn had no idea where he was. One minute, he was helping Han on the watch so he could take a piss and the next minute, he feels something hard hit in that back of the head. As if it was bad enough that his right arm was starting spaz out more and more, the throbbing in his head didn’t help either. He grit his teeth as his arm shook, groaning from the pain that followed after. He curled himself into a ball, in hopes that the pain would go away, but who knew how long that would take. Tears threatened to fall, but he wouldn’t let them. Right now he had to be strong. Like Rey when she was kidnapped. She didn’t show any sign of fear when she came back. She had been his protector since their time in quarantine, now it was his turn to be brave. He took a deep breath as his arm stopped twitching. The throbbing was still there, but at least not as strong as it was earlier. His eyes slowly focused as he looked around him. He was in a dog crate with what looked like s taser on the door. He tested it and got zapped immediately.

‘Don’t touch that again,’ he thought to himself and began to look around the room. 

Christmas lights dangled from the ceiling of what he surmised to the basement of a house he was in. There were tie-dye “tapestries” that hung on the wall, a blown out tv and a couple of beanbag chairs. He could smell the cannabis in the air, reminding him of the few times he had experimented with the drug. Lava lamps glowed in the corner to his right as he noted on the far wall the word Clan was spelt out in what looked like dried blood. Instead of a “c” the artist used a “k”, flipped it around and drew the emblem for anarchy as the “a”. He heard to creaking for footsteps from above followed by muffled voices.

When he heard a door open from above, he feigned to be unconscious with the hopes that his attackers might leave him alone.

“Diseased one is what Jabba calls it,” one male voice spoke.

“Diseased? Wouldn’t he look like those things that walk around?” asked a younger female voice.

“Diseased can mean many things,” spoke an older voice, “but what he needs is our help. Whatever Jabba has plan for him, it can’t be good.”

Finn hesitated to open his eyes till there was another loud bang.

“Tekka!” called a voice from above, “You down there with them brats.”

He heard a shuffle of feet as the male voice stopped the female one.

“Yes, we’re down here,” answered the older voice.

“Jabba is calling for ya. Time for his insulin shot!”

“Coming! Jyn, you watch the boy. When he comes to, give him these and lots of water. Cassian, you come with me.”

“Pastor Tekka,” the female said, “you should subject yourself to this. We can stand up to Jabba and his brutes. There are others that will help us!”

“Jyn,” Pastor Tekka spoke softly, “I admire your passion, but in order for us to save this boy, we have to keep our heads. Do you trust that the Lord is good?”

“Yes...”

“Then He will deliver us from this suffering.”

“Let’s! Go! Tekka! Ain’t got all day!” called the voice from upstairs.

“Be safe my child,” the pastor said, “I’ll let them know you are tending to the boy.”

The two male voices left, leaving Finn with Jyn, who cursed under her breath. Once the door was closed, he waited a couple of beats before lifting himself up. His head still had a dull pain, but his body mainly ached from being confined. He let out a soft groan as his eyes met the petite girl who sat outside his crate.

“How long were you going to play dead?” she asked as she gave him a sour look.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged as she turned off the taser and unlocked the door, “I’ve been kidnapped and don’t really know who to trust.”

He slowly crawled out of the crate as the girl offered him some water.

“Let’s see that injury,” she nodded at his shoulder as he raised an eyebrow, “I have stuff to clean the wound.” Finn noted to gauzes, bandage wrap, and alcohol wipes. So, he figured it was best to cooperate. He unbutton his flannel shirt to reveal the wife beater he had underneath and there was the glaring truth. He never let anyone else see it, because they knew he had lied from the very beginning. The girl slowly unraveled the old bandages and smell of rotten flesh filled the air.

“When were you bit?” Jyn asked as she started to clean the wound.

“A couple of months ago... I had gone to see my girlfriend when I came upon this walker... She didn’t bite too hard...”

“And I’m guessing your girl doesn’t know how severe this wound is?”

“The walker just nipped when she got me. I managed to punch in the face before she could sink her teeth into me... The doctors at the First Order say I have a shot...”

“They all say that,” she replied grimly as she dressed his wound again, “Look, Pastor Tekka used to be a doctor once. Before he turned his life to God, he was a surgeon and... he can help you.”

“How? Like remove the infect area or something? How?” Jyn’s silence didn’t help. She gave him more pain medication before helping him back in the crate and locking him in. 

“What’s your name?” she asked and she touched his fingers through the cage.

“Finn... Finn Dameron...”

“Jyn Erso,” she replied with a soft smile, “I promise that you can trust me, Finn. Whatever Jabba has planned for you, we’ll stop him before he can even get started.”

Finn had always been open to the idea that the world was filled with kind people. First was Rey becoming his friend and companion through the rough times. Then came Poe who became the father he had always dreamed of having. Next was Rose who opened her heart to love him unconditionally like the couple of love drunk teens they were. Now, Jyn and whoever this Pastor Tekka was, were about give him a second chance at life. 

“I’ll be here,” he said and she left him in the basement of a house to whom he assumed was owned by Jabba. He hoped that he would be out by the time that came. 

 

**~*~**

 

Rey etched the days Finn had been missing on the wall of the room she shared with Rose and Paige. She had been a bit on edge since his abduction, nearly biting the nail of her left thumb clean off. It had been two weeks and so far there had been no sign of him. No ransom, no note, nothing to indicate what happened to him. Han was beside himself, blaming himself for leaving the boy alone for so long while Rey felt guilty... she was the one who was supposed to go on watch with Han, but feigned a stomach ache to spend more time with Ben. She was an idiot. A stupid horny teenage girl who allowed her judgment to be clouded by her own hormones! She didn’t want to sit anymore. Sitting around would only make her more angry. Instead she grabbed her bat that was sitting in the corner and went out to the back.

She practiced her swings on the nearest tree she could find. Checking her form each time and seeing if the swing would land, she’d yank the bat out of the bark, making splinters fall afterwards. On her last swing, she swung too hard, getting it stuck in the trunk of the tree. She groaned loudly as she tried to pull it out. Tears started to prickle in their ducts as Rey’s frustration build. She shouldn’t have gone to Ben that night. She should have just done her duty. Everyone had to play their part if they were going to survive this. She had been nothing, but a bad omen from the start. Who knew what had or was going to happen to Finn. She couldn’t live with that on her conscience. With a scream, she finally pulled the bat from the tree and fell down to her knees, softly sobbing to herself.

“Are you all right?” Rey’s head popped up to meet a young man with tan skin and a shaggy goatee. She jumped to her feet and ready herself to strike as a large doberman appeared behind the man and growled at her.

“K2, heel,” the man said and the dog went between his legs, “Sorry about him. He used to be a military dog.”

“Who are you and how did you get in here?” Rey asked as she didn’t stand down. She was ready to take his head off.

“I’m Cassian Andor of the Rogue Ones,” the man said as he slowly approached her, “I came to tell you that the boy in your group is safe from the Clan.”

She slowly started to lower her bat as Cassian came into her space, K2 following him closely.

“Rogue Ones? Does everyone in this town have such dumb names?” she spat.

“I can tell you don’t trust me,” he noticed and she shook her head. He put his hand in his jacket and handed her a letter. She took it, opened it and read it. It was Finn’s handwriting, telling everyone that he was fine, but would not be the same once he returned. A pastor called Tekka was going to help him get rid of the infection he had, but it would not be without some sacrifices.

“Once the new year begins,” she read out loud, “I’ll come back to you.”

Fresh tears fell as she folded the letter back up.

“I would like to say the procedure was a success,” Cassian added, “Your brother’s recovering just fine.”

“How do you know I’m his sister?”

“He talks a great deal about you and your father. He says that you’re the best blessings he could ever ask for.”

“When he means that he’ll not be the same...”

“Amputation is not an easy task.” Rey whimpered as she dropped her bat and covered her mouth. “It is the only way we have found to save those who have be bitten. By cutting off where the infection starts before it reaches any vital organs.”

“No... no, there could have been another way...”

“I’m sorry,” Cassian shook his head, “but without the proper research and medicine, Pastor Tekka had no other choice. Rey... I can assure you no real harm has been caused to your brother. The healing process can take some time, but I can assure you’ll see him again.”

“How do I know this isn’t some trick the Clan has set up to give us false hope?” she challenged.

Cassian smirked.

“You’re not one to be easily fooled,” he said, “I like that about you.” He reached around his neck, pulling out a necklace with a couple of dog tags and a cross. He took it off and handed it to her.

“Wear that until your brother comes home. If he hasn’t come back by the start of the year, then you are free to hunt me down and kill me. However, if he does come back, I would like it back,” he smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Rey jumped back and glared at him for the sudden gesture. “I look forward to seeing you.”

He turned to make his leave through the opening in the fence as Rey watched. She looked down at the necklace in her hand and put it around her neck. She watched as Cassian disappeared into the woods just behind the motel. If everything he said is true, then Finn was okay. More than okay, he had been saved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Cassian, Jyn and Lor San Tekka. (hits the woah) Thank you guys to almost 1900 hits and nearly 80 kudos. I guess when you add smut, people tend to notice you more. Anyways, thank you to Katie716, LBellicose, anniesscribles, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, AlbaStarGazer, nyrcella, and uh_no_thanks for all of your amazing comments. Welcome new readers and thanks for sticking around old ones. Hopefully I have not let you down. Enjoy the smut and stay for the plot, because it’s only going to get thicker from here.


	16. Beware of the Thorns

Rose looked out onto the horizon, her right hand playing with a silver ban on her left finger. She remembered when Finn had given it to her. They just made it two year over the summer and he planned a picnic for them to take. An hour drive to the nearest beach, just the two of them for the first time in a long time. They chased the waves, splashed each other and kissed under the golden sun. It was the perfect day that only got better when he presented her with the promise ring.

“I know it’s not much, but when I have enough money, I’ll get you the diamond you deserve,” he had told her.

She wrote it in her diary as the best day ever. Now, her parents were dead, she far away from home and Finn had been nearly missing for a month. She knew Rey knew something the way she waited near the woods with her bat in hand. When confronted about it, she gave some lame excuse that she had seen a couple of walkers in the woods. That was a load of bullshit. Just like nothing was happening between her and Officer Solo. The walls were thin and she wasn’t stealthy enough to learn that the door clicked every time she went and came back. It made her sick being chastised once for making love with her boyfriend and yet she was fucking an older man. Not to mention they were pretty obvious with the long stares they gave each other from afar. How could she be comfortable with that when her brother could be in danger.

“Rose,” her sister called out, “It’s getting late. We need to turn in for the night.”

She refused to look away.

“Rose...”

“Why is everyone just fine with Finn being gone?” she finally snapped, “When Rey went missing, it was all hands on deck, but now, it’s like no one even cares that he’s gone.”

“Of course we do, Rose,” Paige said as she sat next to her on the frozen ground, “How can you say that we don’t care?”

“Because no one is doing anything! For all we know he could be dead!”

“Rose listen...”

“No, you listen!” she jumped to her feet and stared down her big sister, “The moment he was taken, we should done something more than just the mediocre search party we had. If those clan people took him, then we should have gone after them!”

“With what weapons, Rose? Have you seen our stock pile lately? We’re running low on ammo. Eventually, we’ll have to leave this place, because of how unsafe it is,” Paige explained.

“And Finn?” Rose waited as her sister struggled to find the right words to say. “Exactly. Like I said, no one care.”

 

**~*~**

**One month earlier...**

Jyn told Finn to be ready. Today was the day of his start of his life as “the Diseased one.” He was to go out and infect the Clan’s enemies with the virus he carried. However, he wasn’t sure how. They had tried “training,” pitting against pit bulls they had trained to be vicious killers, but Finn only ended up more scarred and bruised than the dogs themselves. They would chant “Bite! Bite! Bite!” over and over, but Finn couldn’t find the strength to do what they wanted. Their leader, Jabba, a fat greasy man who looked like he had eaten a farm’s worth in chickens, cattle and hogs, always looked disappointed when Finn didn’t know what to do. After every “training,” Jyn would come to him, unlocking his crate and treating his wounds. She explained to him what the procedure he was going to go through.

“Pastor Tekka doesn’t have anesthesia, but he will numb your arm and liquor you up good so that should help some...” She waited nervously for his response, but he just nodded as he nibbled on the dry piece of jerky.

“Do you think they’ll want me back?” he asked, “They’ll soon know I wasn’t a 100% honest with them... Do you think they’ll reject me knowing I’m diseased?”

“No,” Jyn said without any hesitation, “It’s hard to watch a loved one suffer, so I think they’ll be glad to see you’ve survive this.”

Finn swallowed as he looked at the arm he was going to lose. His dominant hand was going to be gone which meant he would have to learn how to do things differently with one hand. He wondered if Rose would still love him know that he was going to be a freak of nature when she saw him again. Then there was Poe and Rey. Would they still accept him after he had lied about the severity of his injury?

“Jyn, do you think you could get a message to my family?”

 

**~*~**

 

Rey had not come to his bed in a while. He knew she had been very upset since the day of her brother’s disappearance, but it pained him to watch her be so distant from him. Anytime Ben tried to get her alone just to talk, she found some excuse to avoid him.

“I need to help Snap gather more timber.” “I promised the sheriff to help on the watch tonight.” “Rose and Paige need help setting up traps.” The list of excuses kept growing and Ben was beside himself. He didn’t know how to just talk to her without Poe getting very suspicious about his increased interest in his daughter. So, he was going to wait. She would come to him eventually. There was no sense in forcing her to come see him and winter was fast approaching. 

Lucky for him, he didn’t have to wait so long as he was about to turn in, he received three knocks at his door, her signal. He opened it and allowed inside quickly before someone saw her. She looked up at him with red, puffy eyes, making him pull her in close. He kissed the top of her head as she sobbed in his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist as she tried to form words. He shushed her. She didn’t need to explain herself. She had been through a lot since the breakout began. This was just the straw that happened to break the camel’s back. He slowly led her to the bed, pulling the covers over them and held her in his arms. Right now she just needed him to be there, someone to make her feel safe if that is all that he is good at.

“Ben,” she said softly as she looked up at him, “I was supposed to be on the watch when Finn was abducted... If I hadn’t been so... distracted, none of this would have happened.”

“Rey, it’s not your fault. No one is blaming you.”

“But they should,” lifted herself from his chest and hugged her knees, “You’re right. I’m just a kid... I have no business doing stuff like this... I shouldn’t even be here... I don’t even know why I’m here.”

She tossed aside the blanket and went to the door.

“Because you’re drawn to me,” he said out loud, making her pause, “in the same way I’m drawn to you, little lawbreaker. The only rules you ever play by are your own,” he got out of the bed and stood behind her, taking in the large shirt she was wearing and the oversized basketball shorts, “That’s how you’ve always been, right? You never want to go by anybody else’s way, but your own. Rey...” he touched her arm to make her turn and look at him, “what happened to Finn is no one’s fault. Heck, even my dad has beating himself over it ever since that night thinking if he did something different everything could have gone better. We can’t dread on the past and hope it can change the present. All we can do is hope. Hope that the sun will come out tomorrow, hope that we survive the night, hope that we will get through this...”

She looked up at him for a moment, the glow of the streetlight outside shone on the left side of her face making him wish he could just sweep her up in his arms. 

“But I’m still a dumb kid, right?” Rey asked as fresh tears began to fall. 

“No...” Ben cupped her cheek and kissed her, “not to me.”

He took her hand and pulled her back to the bed, wrapping them up in the blankets once more. They shared a few more kisses after Ben set his alarm. Rey’s hand wondered to the edge of his sweats, but didn’t venture any further. It was as if she was afraid of what new consequences would come if she continued.

“It’s all right,” he said against her lips, “We don’t have to do anything.”

“But I feel... I feel like I need to...” she hesitated, readying herself to take the plunge, so Ben helped her. Guiding her hand inside his sweats, he wrapped her fingers around his hard cock. Together they moved along his member until he let her take the lead. Her mouth was hot on his, nipping and moaning, wanting him before looking down to see what her hand was doing to him. Ben groaned as her thumb rubbed the head of his cock. She gave him a genuine smile, like she was pleased with what she was doing to him.

“I still have dreams about us,” she whispered in his ear as his eyes closed, “I dream about the day we’ll actually fuck. I imagine it’ll wonderful...”

“It won’t be fucking, Rey,” he sighed, “We would be making love.”

Her hand stopped and his eyes opened to look at the sudden confusion in her eyes.

“Love?” she repeated.

“Yes...” he looked her over once more, “I love you, Rey...”

 

**~*~**

 

Finn groaned as he slowly woke. Everything happened so fast when Jyn and Cassian came to his rescue. It was supposed to be a slow walkout, but it turned a complete 180 in a matter of seconds. Guns fired as the three made a run for the fence. As they dove under, one of them grabbed onto Finn’s ankle and tried to pull him back.

“ _We ain’t done with you yet, boy..._ ”

Suddenly he could chants again. Something in him changed, switching his mind to a primal state he had never experienced before. He turned to the man that had him, unlatched his mouth and went right for his throat. Blood filled his mouth as he ripped off the skin and muscle, leaving a nice size opening in the throat as the man fell back and twitched. The life drained from his face as the eyes rolled to back of his head. Finn let out a snarl as a warning, making the other men freeze as he backed up towards the fence. The rest of the men froze in horror, not sure what to do next. Finn slipped under the fence to catch up with the others, vomiting once they were further in the woods. He gagged in horror of what he had unleashed. He was a monster...

There was a knock at the door of the room he was staying in. When it opened, there approached a man with a white, trimmed beard and a tired face, but bright blue eyes that glimmered with warmness that Finn hadn’t seen in a long time. Not even the First Order nurses that were treated him had that gleam in their eyes.

“How are you feeling?” the old man asked as he approached the bed with a small tray of food.

“I don’t know...”

“I would guess that you may have your concerns after last night,” the man said as he set the tray of food on a nightstand next to Finn.

“You know, sir?”

“Bits and pieces, but it’s none of my concern.”

“It is to me!” Finn cried, “What I did last night... I can still taste his blood on my tongue. I’m changing and I don’t know what to do... I’m... I’m...”

“Relax, son,” the man said as he sat on the bed with him, “No need to get yourself worked up. Let’s start with something simple. Can you tell me your first name?”

“Finn Dameron.”

“And your birthday?”

“December 6, 2001.”

“Well,” the man chuckled, “Happy Birthday to you, young Finn. Do you know your father’s name?”

“Poe Dameron.”

“And your mother’s?” Finn answered all of these man’s questions which was seen as a good sign.

“You haven’t lost your mind yet. That’s normally first thing that tends to go with these cases,” the old man said as he served Finn some hot oatmeal and orange juice, “Now, I assume you know what is going to happen today.”

“My arm...”

“I know it must be hard for you, Finn. It’s hard for everyone that goes through with it, but if we are able to get rid of the bad stuff, then the good stuff will be fine,” the man reassured him.

“So, you’re Pastor Tekka?” The man nodded with a smile. “Jyn has mentioned you were a surgeon before. What had changed?”

“That’s a story for another day,” the pastor said as he squeezed Finn’s hand, “For now eat up and get some rest. I’ll let you know when it is time for the surgery.”

 

**~*~**

 

**Present time...**

Rey and Ben hadn’t talked much since his confession, but heavy petting was still happening between the two. Rey was caution enough to hide to military dog necklace she had been given two weeks ago as well as the letter. It would be her secret for now until Cassian either delivered on his promised or turned out to be a lair. For now though, Rey was distracted with the taste of Ben’s cock and his mouth on her pussy. She spat on the tip so she could stroke him better as she rested her head on his thigh for a moment. If there was one part of Ben’s body Rey liked the most, it was definitely his mouth. The way he kissed was incredible, but when it came to between her legs, it brought out new desires in her that she didn’t know she had. She would bite her lip when he did one thing and moan when he did another. She would occasionally grind her hips against his face and he didn’t seem to mind. Then he would groan and a new tingling sensation would come over her. The extra vibrations were the best thing she could have ever asked for as it seemed Ben was in tune to what she needed. Rey even seemed to be more acute to his needs as well. She knew he loved it when she played with the sensitive tip of his cock, that long, slow licks drove him crazy, and he seemed to tighten whenever she tried to take him whole. She had yet to get all the way to the base, gagging when the tip hit the back of her throat, but never stopped her from trying. At one point, she almost had it when they were in the RV on night watch duty and she decided that they needed a break from the exhausting watch. However Ben never pushed her to do such a feat. Just her will to do something so intimate was more than enough.

“Ben,” she sighed when she felt his mouth on her clit. She began stroking him faster as she felt herself getting close to climax. She took him back in her mouth and moan from the way his tongue swirled around the small bundle of nerves. Rey couldn’t take anymore and knew the only way she was going to win is by evening the playing field. So, she relaxed jaw and throat until her lips met the course hair. Tears prickled as she heard Ben gasped. The hot, salty liquid hit her throat as she felt Ben’s hot breaths against her sex. She released with a loud pop, smirking to herself that she made him come before her. 

“Shit,” he sighed as his thumb lazily rubbed her folds. 

“We’re not done yet,” she softly whined.

“Of course not,” he chuckled as he pushed his middle and ring fingers in her, “I’ll finish what you started.”

They kissed once more before she left his room to sneak over to hers. However she wasn’t prepared for what waited on the other side of the door. Both Tico sisters were fully awake. One sitting on the bed, the other sitting on the chair. Paige held her head in her hands as Rose looked rather cross. She held dog tags and the letter Finn had wrote in her hands as she stared her down.

“So when were you going to tell us?” she asked softly as if holding back her anger.

“Tell you what?”

“Rey, don’t play dumb,” Paige sighed, “Just tell her what she wants to hear.”

“No! I want the truth!” Rose spat as she got up from the bed and approached Rey, “How long did know and where you EVER going to tell us?”

“Sheriff Holdo knows,” Rey answered, “Her and Snap made contact with the pastor. They said he’s doing fine.”

“That’s all you have to say for yourself?” Rose whimpered as hot tears rolled down her cheeks, “You knew! You knew he was okay and you didn’t have to decency to tell me! Does your boyfriend know?”

“My boyfriend?”

“Oh, don’t try that again,” she snapped, “I saw you sucking his dick yesterday.”

“Rose!” Paige interjected.

“She should be lucky it was me and not her father. Could you imagine what he would have done?”

“It’s none of your concern who’s dick I suck, Rose,” Rey said through her teeth, “So, I didn’t tell you Finn was all right. I’m sorry, because I wasn’t 100% sure I could trust this Cassian guy until the sheriff made contact with the pastor.”

She watch Rose work her jaw. It was as if she was trying to think of something else to say to be little her even more. So, what if she caught her sucking Ben’s dick? She had caught her plenty of time in questionable places with her brother. She too had heard their giggles in the RV when they thought no one was around.

“You better hope nothing bad has happened to him,” Rose warned, “because if something did, I hope it stays on your conscience till the day you die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter update, hooray! Thank you all so much for your support. I can’t believe I’m almost to 2000 hits. Unless I’m already there, I haven’t checked. Thank you to Katie716, uh_no_thanks, nyrcella, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, AlbaStarGazer and droid_activist for all your comments. I’ve read them all, I just don’t know how to respond. Thank you all again for your support. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I would be doing with my life. ❤️ Till next time.


	17. Your Only Hope

“Brothers and sisters,” Jabba spoke over the small crowd, “On the night that we were to attack the spineless Knolls of the north, who had to audacity to not only steal, but rape some of our fair women, the Diseased one was taken in the night by the ruffians they call Rogue Ones. Now, they have recruited the foreigners who also stole from us and slaughter poor Bodhi. It is time to end this oppression we face from those who wish to watch us die. When we descended from the mountains, we were scorned, rejected, and left to be the fatter for these hellish monsters. We prove them wrong when we ran their government out and spread ourselves through this valley. They didn’t know the mountains like we did. These Rogue Ones will learn the Clan cannot be defeated! We will show them no mercy when we strike their leader and we WILL have our weapon ONCE MORE!”

The crowd cheered, chanting their leaders over and over as the fat man laughed, basking in the glow of the simpleminded men he had manipulated so well. Little did he know, a young, petite girl was in the crowd, her face covered by hood of her hoodie as her heart raced. Jyn Erso left the crowd with her ears still ringing. She met Cassian under a bridge near the Tennessee River flowed near them.

“What did you learn?” he asked as he found K2 a piece of dried jerky.

“They’re coming for the pastor,” she said with a shaky voice, “We need to leave. Get to Rey and make plans to get us out of here.”

“He won’t want to leave so suddenly,” Cassian pondered.

“Who gives a damn what he wants! His life is in danger, Cassian,” she hissed as she started pacing, “There’s the gas reserve, right? We can provide them with enough gas to power that RV and get us out of here. We head north towards Washington. I can send word to my father...”

“Your father won’t help us, Jyn.”

“You don’t know that!”

“The moment we come in range of that man, we end up in danger Rey.”

“Why do you care about her?” she asked, “Unless you’ve actually developed feelings for her.” The blush on his cheek gave him away. Her brow furrowed as she shook her head. “And do you think she’ll think of you when finds out that you were the one who delivered her brother to the hands of a tyrant?”

 

**~*~**

Sheriff Holdo and Poe Dameron headed out meet with Pastor Tekka. Still no word on when Poe could see his son, but the man of the Lord was generous is supplying them with stock from his preserves for the winter. It was not safe for Finn the venture out just yet, not with the Clan patrolling looking for any signs of him. However, the pastor didn’t seem to concern for his safety as they knew he was being hunted as well.

“Some more peaches,” he said with a simple smile as he unloaded his truck, “and I believe these would all so come in handy.”

He handed Poe two, freshly sharpened axes, ready to slice off any head of those mindless walkers.

“And my son?” the father asked.

“He is learning to live with one hand,” Pastor Tekka said as he dug into his coat pocket, handing him a letter, “He still hates using his left hand, but he prides himself in groom himself every morning and helping out the best he can at the farm.”

Poe nodded as Sheriff Holdo rubbed his shoulder.

“Your a good man, Pastor,” she said softly, “I just there were more like you.”

“The end of times can make anyone lose their grip on reality,” he answered, the sparkle never leaving his eyes, “but I believe this is all part of our Heavenly Father’s divine plan.”

There was something calming about being in this old man’s presence. It was as if the problems of the world had dissolved into a lull. Poe reached his hand out to the pastor’s and they shook.

“Thank you, Pastor... I’m counting on you to let me have my boy again,” he said. 

 

**~*~**

 

They honestly shouldn’t be doing this, not after she learned that Rose and Paige knew about them, but she couldn’t help herself. It was best distraction she could ask for from the guilt that consumed her. Ben never denied her, he just refused to go through with it all the way. Yet he ground his hard cock between her legs as she was bent over the sink, grunting softly and eyeing himself to keep him from accidentally slipping in. Rey thought of the condoms she had tucked under her mattress, never brave enough to bring any of, because she’d fear what he would think of her. Still, she love the reflection she saw. If this played out differently, he would buried deep in her and she would be clenching around him, never to let go. For now, she had to enjoy the stimulation her clit was getting just from the head of his cock nudging it as he glided between her pussy lips.

“Shit... I love how wet you get,” he groaned as her body stiffened, “I love how you sound...” Another twitch that gnawed at her stomach. “I love you...”

“Let’s move to the bed,” she said, hoping to keep him from talking. He allowed her to led, laying him down and kissing him till she was settled on top of him. He tended to not speak as much when they did it this way. There his eyes were more focused on her breast or her hips, but as she moved his gaze was only on her face. His stare was so intense that Rey had to close her eyes to focus on what she was doing. There was too much adoration in his look, like she was worthy of such a look after everything that had happened.

“I love your eyes...” he sighed as his hands made their way to her slender hips, “I love the shape of your body... I love your spirit... I love perfect to fit with me... I love you... so much...” 

He’s confessions were becoming too much for her, so she covered his mouth with her as ground harder. She nipped at his lip, making him groan so her tongue to sneak in and taste him. She was so close, she just needed him to stop talking. This talk about things he loved about her was getting to her. He shouldn’t love her, he should just want to fuck her, to release the stress of their dire situation. Just do it for shits and giggles and not worry what the consequences will be. He should call her out for being the lawbreaker that she was when she felt the tip try to penetrate her. She gasped as Ben tried to stop her, but she had the high ground. She took his hands off her waist and pinned them to either side of his head. 

“Just one little slip,” she said looking into his fiery gaze, “Just in and out and I’ll make you come with my mouth.”

“Rey...” he groaned when he felt her shift, the head now inside her as she stopped herself for a moment to just feel it. 

“Just in,” she sighed as lower herself more. She cringed at the pinch in the abdomen as Ben tried to release her from her grasp. 

“Rey... don’t...”

“Ben, please...” her thighs started to tremble, but the pain growing increasingly worse. Her grip on him relaxed and he was able to gain control once more. Pulling out, Rey gasped at the horror of the few drops of blood that came out of her. Ben made her meet his gaze as she slowly started to hyperventilate.

“Rey, breathe. Deep breaths. Come on, sweetheart,” he said so tenderly that she almost couldn’t stand it. She deserve this, not after what happened to Finn, not after every stupid decision she had made so far. 

“I got you,” he continued to comfort her as the tears fell.

“I’m sorry,” she said meekly.

“Shhh... it’s okay... sometimes we just don’t think when we’re in these moments of passion,” he said as he stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, “It’s fine, but my moral is still stands. I’m not doing anything till you’re 18.”

“I know,” Rey sniffled as Ben continued to stroke her hair, “I just thought that maybe... you’d might just let it happen.”

Ben rolled over to his side and pulled Rey into his chest.

“You know we don’t have to do this all the time you find the chance to see me or just anytime we’re alone,” he said as he lazily drew figure eights on her back, “Just having you next to me is enough, Rey.”

“I just...” more tears were coming as she tried to find the words, “I just want to feel worthy for once. You go on and on about these things you... like about me, but yet I look at myself and see someone who think she has the best intentions, but disaster just seems to follow me instead...”

“I guess I’m to blame,” Ben sighed as she looked up at him, “Clearly none of this would have happened if I never pulled you over.”

And with that, Rey finally smiled.

 

**~*~**

 

The problem with Jabba’s plan of attack is that he didn’t know where the pastor’s farm truly was. Which in Jyn’s and Cassian’s mind gave them the advantage as they loaded up their wagon with two gas canisters. They attached the wagon to K2 to pull and started their journey to the motel. It was an exchange that had to go well or else they might have some bigger issues. They stayed in the shadows, stopping to catch their breaths, but always moving in case the threat was too close. Jabba had gained more followers since his attack on Hamilton Place. So many innocent lives just slaughtered and those who didn’t follow, were feed to the zombies afterwards. They had chased out their only means of protection, because Jabba felt like he could. The people of the mountains were going to take the land as he poetically put it and Jyn could not let that happen, especially not to someone like Pastor Tekka. When they reached the motel, Cassian told her to wait outside the fence.

“Rey should be on the other side,” he said as she crossed her arms.

“You never told me what was so special about her, Cassian,” she snapped as he stopped in his tracks, “What about her do you like about her the most? Can’t be her hairstyle, because whoever would be dumb enough to wear their hair like that. Or does she just look like someone else to you?”

“That’s none of your concern, you little brat,” he growled as he turned to face her, “My personal affairs have nothing to do with you.”

“They do if there is anyway to jeopardize this mission,” she said as she stood her ground. She didn’t care that he was three years older than her and had military experience. Her main priority was getting back to her father and protecting that pastor. Cassian had just been someone who happened to come along at the right time.

“Just wait here with K2,” he ordered before continuing his way toward the motel. Jyn’s eyes never left Cassian till he disappeared behind the fence. She shouldn’t be jealous, but she couldn’t help it. What right did some other teenage girl had to steal the affections of a man she had grown fond of these past few months? Jyn had never had a boyfriend and Cassian was the closest she thought she would ever get to one after he saved her from the attack at Hamilton Place. He had infiltrated the Clan as a trained solider to gain information on them for his superiors. When they had learned who he had saved, they became more interested in her survival than what a bunch of hillbillies from the hollers. She was the daughter of Dr. Galen Erso, a lead scientist on the cure project in Washington. How she ended up in Chattanooga was a different story and one that the government didn’t care for. They felt that by using her as bait, it would make him continue to do his research. However, Jyn felt that she need to play her part of they were going to save the world. 

Cassian found Rey waiting on a tree stump with a mastiff sitting next to her. The dog growled as he approached. 

“Go to Han, Chewie,” she told the dog before it turned and whines at her, “Go.”

“Smart dog,” he said with a smirk as she glared at him. 

“Do you have more news on my brother or are you here to just be smug?” she asked as she picked up the bat next to her. 

‘Clever girl,’ he thought to himself, still smirking.

“After everything we’ve been through, you still don’t trust me?” he asked and she brought the end of her bat near the side of his head.

“Not in the slightest. So, you better have something or I scar up that pretty face of yours.”

“Oh,” he chuckled, “you find me pretty?” He had her as her cheeks started to rosy. “The feeling is mutual,” he winked.

That seemed to stun her enough for him to be able to take that bat from her, disarming her, but she was quick to pull a knife she had tucked into her belt and point it at his throat. He didn’t know he could find someone so threatening to be so attractive. 

“Your brother is fine, but there are more things to worry about,” Cassian said as he lowered the bat to the ground, “but you should already know that since your father and sheriff have been meeting with the pastor.”

Her glare never wavered and the knife was still pointed under his adam’s apple.

“I brought a friend with some gas for you and your crew.”

“A friend?” she question. He called for Jyn from behind him and helped her and K2 through the fence opening. He watched her eyes go wide when she saw the gas cans.

“Jabba is making new threats towards the Rogue Ones,” he explained, “Once he takes out the pastor, it won’t be long till you and your people are in danger. We’ll need assistance getting to the north. We have enough that should able to fill your RV. All we ask is safe passage.”

“We could take them,” Rey said as she crossed her arms.

“Your ammo is low and it won’t be long till more walkers infest this area,” Jyn replied, “My father works for the First Order. He would be able to help us.”

“And then what? You hand me over to them?” she asked as the petite girl sighed.

“Why would they want you?”

Rey went silent as Jyn continued to challenge her.

“Are you something special to them?”

“Did my brother not tell you what happened to me when we were in Jacksonville?” Jyn and Cassian shook their heads. “Then there is nothing for me to dissolve to you.”

“At least let us talk to the person who’s in charge,” Jyn fought, “Someone who has more reason than you.”

Rey seemed ready to come back with a retort, but Ben showed up with his shotgun in hand.

“Who are these intruders, Rey?” he asked as he approached the small group.

“Your only hope,” Jyn responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... another random chapter update. Where is this story going? Well, it is time to get the heck out of Dodge before Jabba and his croonies decide mess their shit up. No where seems to be safe for our little group now. Hopefully they’ll find friends on the other side. I want to thank everyone for still enjoying this story. Now sitting at 2100 hits and 85 kudos, hopefully we’ll make it to 100 before this story comes to an end. I also want to thank uh_no_thanks, Zombie_Queen, AlbaStarGazer, Katie716, nyrcella, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, and lonufry for your awesome comments. I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to respond to them, but I do read them and appreciate every comment I get. More to come soon, so hang on tight. Till next time.


	18. To the Farmhouse

Ben listened to every Jyn had to say, analyzing everything and then offered the girl and young man a place to sleep and a eat for the night.

“We’ll let you talk to the sheriff and she will take it from there,” Ben said as he led them to their camp where Han was serving a hardy stew. He pulled Rey aside when he had the chance.

“Why are you meeting with these people?” he asked.

“I’ve never seen the girl in my life,” she said quickly. 

“And the man?” Her eyes shifted slightly as if she was trying to come up with a lie, but when she took too long. Ben just shook his head and started to walk away. Rey grabbed his wrist, tugging him back, but he didn’t look at her. 

“He’s no one,” she finally said, “He just told me where my brother was... I...”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ben asked as she looked down at her, his brow furrowed and his jaw set.

“I... I didn’t think it matter... The sheriff knew and she”

He shook his head and took his hand back. Rey watched as he walked away from her, her heart suddenly aching. How could she had been so wrong? When she joined the others by the campfire, Rey’s eyes would causally drift to where Ben sat, but he would not look at her. It probably didn’t help that Cassian decided to sit next to her, his playful smirk never leaving his face as he enjoyed the stew. As she was going to turn in for the night, Cassian stopped her to talk a little longer. 

“I’m glad to finally see how everything is setup,” he said as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

“I don’t need your approval,” she sneered as she looked over his shoulder to find Ben heading into the RV with the sheriff, Poe and the girl, Jyn.

“I know, but it’s good to see you guys are taking care of yourselves pretty well,” he continued, ignoring her annoyance or that she wanted to know why Ben would want anything to do with the new girl. It wasn’t like she hadn’t noticed the girl’s pouty lips or the sparkle in her blue eyes when Ben had addressed her. 

“Are the bed comfy?” Cassian asked as he walked closer, blocking her view of the RV.

“Guess you’ll just find out,” she said, turning away from him and headed her room.

Rey lay awake as she waited to hear Ben come back. Rose was right that the wall were pretty thin. She could hear the shuffling next door and the soft timbre of his voice as he talked to his father. She slowly got up from her bed and walked towards the wall. She pressed her ear against the wall to listen. 

“You shouldn’t be too worried about the kid, Ben,” Han said as the bed creaked. 

“It’s not the point,” Ben grumbled, “I... deeply care for that kid. I don’t understand why she didn’t come to me.”

“Maybe she wasn’t sure how you would react,” Han defended.

“I would hope she would trust me,” Ben snapped as Rey heard him get up from the bed and began to pace, “After everything we’ve been through, why wouldn’t she say anything to me?”

There was silence for a while as the door opened. 

“Sorry...” It was Cassian, “I was told I could sleep here for the night.”

Rey jumped back from the wall once she heard his voice. It would do her no good to go to Ben tonight... unless Ben would want her to come over... She looked at the alarm clock on the end table. In a few hours, he would be going to his time on the watch. She looked under her bed, moved the floorboard, and found the box of Little Debbie’s next to the Trojan box. She stuffed her pockets and snuck out. 

 

**~*~**

 

Ben didn’t like this kid, Cassian. He didn’t like the way he looked at Rey, talked to Rey or just be in the area as Rey. Now, he was sleeping in his room and the sheriff in so many words told him to deal with it. It’s not that he didn’t trust Cassian. Ben felt with Cassian’s military background, he could be helpful to the team. It was just that he had been meeting with Rey in secret for however many days and she didn’t have the nerve to tell him. Perhaps he was to blame for this. He may had made her feel overwhelmed with his confession of love to her that she might not had wanted it to be like that. Ben let out a sigh feeling so stupid for letting his emotions get the better of him. He wrapped himself more in the fleet coat as he watch the flurries start to fall. Rey had never said she didn’t return his affections. He just assumed that since she still came to visit him, that maybe there was something in the was they “did things”. He thought it was her own way to express her feelings to him. Then again, he could just be wrong and Rey was only using him to release her sexual frustration, because there weren’t many options for her and he was the closest she could get to. The lust for each other had be mutual. He looked down at his watch, grateful it hadn’t died yet and noticed that Snap was running late.

“You’re late again,” Ben snapped once he heard the creak of the ladder.

“Is he really always late?” she asked, making Ben turn around to find Rey standing the roof with him.

“Rey? What are you doing here?”

“Coming to see you,” she simply put it, “I told Snap I would take his watch in exchange for some twinkies.”

“You had twinkies?” he asked, “So you really do have secrets,”

“Ben,” she sighed, “I don’t know what more to say. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Cassian, but I’ve once seen him a handful of times. He’s no one to me. Just some ass who likes to dangle information on my brother in front of me.”

Ben watched as she started to tremble. In the faint light of the streetlights he could make out her tiny figure and was sure she only had her hoodie to protect from the cold. He got up from his chair and wrapped her up in his coat, pulling her into his chest. He felt her arms wrap around his waist as her head fit so perfectly in the notch of his neck. He kissed the top of her head and led her to the chair. He held her in his lap and rubbed her back as she held him close.

He sighed contently when he felt her lips on his neck. Her soft kisses seemed to make everything better. He felt her shifting in his lap, straddling him to prepare herself as her hand started to slip between them. He caught her hand before she could start anything,

“Not tonight,” he said softly, “It doesn’t feel right...”

She looked at him with watery eyes.

“I’m not saying no forever,” he whispered as his lips brushed against hers, “I’m just saying no to now.”

“Ben...” she rested her forehead against his, “I’m so sorry...”

“I know,” he tucked her hair behind ear, “But I need you to promise me something, lawbreaker,” he earned a small smile from her, “No more secrets. If we are going to get through this, you need to be open with me through everything.”

She nodded as fresh tears began to roll down her cheeks. He wiped them before pulling her in for a gentle kiss. He held her close for the rest of the night. It was a quiet night where nothing happened. She softly snoozed on his chest. As the sun slowly rose in the distance, Ben choose to close his eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth Rey gave him. Next time, he would show her what she truly meant to him.

 

**~*~**

Finn finished milking the cow as the orange and white terrier name Bee Bee followed close at his heels.

“Not for you, bud,” he said as the dog whine. He let out a sigh as he placed the bucket on the porch and grabbed a ladle to give the small dog a morsel.

“You’re spoiling that dog,” the pastor said through the screen door as he sipped his coffee.

“Well, last time he begged, we nearly lost all the milk for the day,” Finn said as he took the bucket, propped it on his knee and filled the milk can. 

“Told you you would get the hang of it,” Pastor Tekka smiles as he joined the young on the porch. The terrier wagged its tail as the old man scratched its ear. 

It had been nearly a month since the surgery and Finn’s scars had healed up nicely. Though it was still strange to look at his right side and except something to be there, he didn’t seem to miss it as much as he thought. Jyn had been a great help. She’d changed his bandages, helped him dress and feed him till he found the confidence to do it. The process had been painful. He did pass out when the pastor got to the bone, but when he woke, he didn’t mourn the lost. If anything, he was more at peace. 

Trying to do everything one handed had been a challenge, but Finn wasn’t going to take his second chance at life for granted. Pastor Tekka was patience with him as he retaught himself simple things and Jyn was the best help he could ask for. Not wanting to stay in bed, as soon as the pastor cleared him, Finn was ready to help. He chopped wood, picked up dishes, feeding the dogs, and now milking the cow. Life just seemed better. 

Yet he would lie awake at night sometimes as he wondered about his family. He was sure his father and sister had to be worried about him. Lord knows that he did, especially when it seemed like the snow was coming. How much longer would they survive in the little motel? Surely the pastor could spare a few beds for them. That’s why he helped Cassian and Jyn with the gas. With enough conviction, they would come. They had to. 

“I haven’t seen Jyn at all,” the pastor said as he interrupted Finn’s train of thought, “Normally she’s in the hen house checking for eggs. At least the coffee seemed to be ready to brew.”

“Oh... ummm... I did that,” Finn admitted as Bee Bee approaches him.

“So where is she?” he asked as he sipped on his coffee.

Before Finn could answer, he heard the gravel crunching as he look to find the RV rolling up the long driveway. He got up and walked down the stairs as it parked. He heard the door to it swing open as someone charged at him. Rose flung her arms around him, a sobbing mess as she kissed his whole face.

“You’re here,” she sobbed, “You’re okay. Oh my god.”

He held her close with his one arm as he returned the kiss, missing her lips more than he had ever missed before. Her hair was longer than the bob she had, she was slimmer, but she fit just the same in his arm. Next came Poe, also sobbing as Rose let him hug his son. He rubbed the side where his arm was missing and looked at it somberly.

“I’m so sorry,” he said.

“It’s not your fault,” Finn answered, “If anything, it was my fault.”

“Finn,” he heard Rey. She looked exhausted, but her eyes sparkled with happiness to him. He smiled as he beckoned her over. The three of them hugged, holding each other as they used to do in that yellow house. It felt good again to be a family. He cried as his father rubbed his back and Rey kissed his cheek. He never thought he would be  as happy as he was in this moment.

 

**~*~**

 

Jabba met with his scouters. The motel was abandoned. The murderous monsters had left to an unknown location. He stroked his greasy, double chin as he listened to the different plans and strategies they were all coming up with. All of them were terrible. None of them had the level of stealth that Cassian’s plans would have. Now, his only hope worked for the Rogue Ones, the ones that wanted to shut him down. After everything he had down for the private that was left behind as fodder for this war no one intended on fighting. The arguing was starting to get louder. Why did he even think of creating a war council if no one was going to speak logically? So, he picked up his pistol and shot Jonas on his right in the head getting everyone’s attention.

“You idiots never know when to shut up,” he grumbled as he took another bite of chicken, “If Cassian was here, he would be running laps around you all. Instead he has probably aided the escape of these criminals.”

“Well, whatcha expect us to do?”

“I expect you to shut up or I’ll shoot you right between the eyes!” Jabba yelled growing more frustrated.

The door to their makeshift bunker opened and the men stood up with guns and pistols ready to fire. A small man with an eyepatch walked in with two others. They hand their hands held up as they slowly walk in. 

“Jabba Hutson?” the man with the eyepatch spoke.

“Yes,” the fat man answered as he slowly stood, “Who’s asking?”

“Dr. Dopheld Mitaka,” he said, “I was told you are the man in charge here.”

“What brings ya here, Doctor?”

“It is my understanding that you are looking to turn your men into weapons? I may have something that might help you with that,” the doctor said as he pulled off his gloves, “Might you still have the body?”

 

**~*~**

 

Rey watched from afar as her brother walked hand-in-hand with Rose. Something that she had always been jealous of. Finn had always been opened to the idea of love, that when he found it in Rose, he latched onto it like a honeybee to a flower. Their smiles seemed to glow in the evening light. When they first started dating, she remembered Paige would gag anytime they were around or walking the halls. Then she found the wedding magazines her sister had hidden under her bed and told Rey that one day they would be sisters. She watched them disappear into the barn between she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and a pair of soft lips on her neck.

“Do you forgive?” she asked. 

“Not quite,” Ben sighed, “but I’m getting there.”

She turned around to face, leaning against the porch railing. 

“Aren’t you scared that someone might see us,” she whispered as she crossed her arms. 

“They’re having a meeting of the minds in the kitchen,” he explained, “Paige is helping Jyn feed the dogs and it looks like your brother is pretty occupied.”

Ben gave her a smirk as he leaned in.

“And you might catch a cold, so let me warm you up,” he whispered before stealing a kiss. Rey kissed back, feeling the fire that was behind it as his tongue snuck into her mouth. She shivered when he nipped on her bottom lip as he wedged his knee between her legs. His thumb brushed against her cheek as he tilted her head up do give him more of an advantage. When he pulled back, Rey kissed the side of his mouth and tried to pull it back, but he chuckled as he took her hands from behind his neck.

“Later,” he smirked.

“Where will you be staying?” Rey asked as he bumped her nose with his.

“The RV,” he nodded, “Han decided to take a room in the house. I wouldn’t mind your company.”

“I shouldn’t,” she giggled as she bit her bottom, “I might get caught.”

“Never stopped you before,” Ben teased as he kissed her forehead, “I’ll see you around, little lawbreaker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Dr. Mitaka is back. What’s going to happen now? Is Cassian going to try is going to step in between Rey and Ben? *shrugs* But there will be more sexy stuff to come. Some much needed love for Rose and Finn and ZOMBIES! We can’t forget about them... Sorry, it isn’t as long as the other chapters, but heck, it’s something... I think. Thank you Beebee 8, uh_no_thanks, LBellicose, nyrcella, and T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3 for your amazing comments. Thanks for over 2200 hits and sitting at 88 kudos. I hope you all are still enjoying this story as much as I’m writing. Let’s keep going! Till next time. 😘😘😘


	19. I Love You, I Know

Rose didn’t know what to think when Rey slipped her the condoms.

“Just in case,” she smirked with a wink as she let the bathroom, “don’t be too noisy.”

Rose blushed as she stared at the small foiled package in her hand. First she was embarrassed that Finn’s sister would even imply that she would even think of doing something like that, especially now with everything Finn had been through. Next was where did Rey find this novelty? Surely on the few scouting trips she had been on she should have found something else more useful. Still, Rose had been deprived of Finn’s touch since the whole RV incident when they first settled in Chattanooga. They had been trying to be more careful since then, but being respectful of the sheriff’s wishes. She looked down at the tiny square and was half tempted to throw it away. Then again, Finn’s room was just a few steps away from the bathroom and Paige was probably still chatting with Jyn, so..

She tipped toed carefully, mindful of the squeaky floor boards as she approached his room. There was no turning back now. She slowly turned the doorknob and entered the room. She found him sitting on the bed, looking out the window. He didn’t look until she close the door. Finn jumped and tried to grab a shirt, but Rose stopped him. He seemed uncomfortable.

“What are you doing here?” he asked as he tried shifted his right side away.

“I came to see you,” she said softly as she took his hand, keeping the small package behind her back, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” he lied as she heard to crack in his voice. He had seemed fine in the barn when they had ‘fallen’ into a pile of hay and just kissed till they were called for supper. Then he didn’t seem to let what he was lacking get to him, but now, he was more open and probably felt more vulnerable.

“I ran into Rey while I was brushing my teeth,” she continued, looking down at their hands, “and she gave me this.”

Finn’s eyes widen when he say the tiny square.

“Seriously?!” She nodded. “My sister gave you that?!” Rose tried not to giggle as Finn began pacing. “Why would she do something like that? This is crazy!”

“Maybe she wanted us to have a chance,” Rose said, making Finn look at her.

“Rose, it’s not the same,” he rubbed his right side, “I’m not the same guy I used to be.”

“Is it the arm?” He shook his head.

“It’s more than that...” he sighed, “When I was captured or taken hostage or... whatever, those people wanted me to attack. Maybe they thought I was already a zombie or was on my way to becoming one, so they wanted to train me to attack on their terms. They’d sic their dogs on me and expected me to fight back, but I couldn’t. I nearly lost a finger over it,” he softly chuckled, “And then came the escaped. These men fired their guns at us as we ran for our lives. When one caught me, something in me just snapped...” Tears started to form in his eyes as he sat on the bed, “Rose... I killed a man just by biting his neck... Sometimes... when I think about it, I can still taste his blood...”

Rose dropped to her knees in front of him as he softly sobbed. She stroked his cheek, wiping the tears and cradled his head.

“Finn,” he looked at her, “that wasn’t you. That was that disease making you do something you didn’t want to do. I know you as this kind, generous soul who would never hurt a fly.”

“But what if it happens again? What if just removing the infected part doesn’t work and I turn on you? Rose, I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.”

“It won’t,” she said firmly, “I know you’ll do everything in your power to fight it and when they find the cure, you’ll be the first one to get it. And no matter what happens, I’m with you till the end.”

She lean forward and took the plunge. She kissed him softly at first, gentle pecks before she climbed into his lap. Her tongue slipped in and Finn responded with a deep groan in his chest. Something was happening in the basketball shorts he had on, making Rose smile as she rolled her hips against him. Her lips made a trail along his cheekbone as his fingers gripped onto the loose shirt she wore. He one fell swoop, he pinned her to the bed with his one arm and attacked her mouth. She giggled in delight. This was the Finn she knew. The take charge boy now man who never turned down an opportunity to be inside her.

“I’ve missed you,” he sighed as he tugged on her shirt. She helped him, pulling it off her body so he could ogle at her breasts. “I’ve missed those too.” Rose playfully slapped his shoulder before pulling him in for another kiss. His touch never changed, it just meant it took him a little longer to enjoy the soft curves of her figure. He suckled lightly on one breast as his hand tended to the other as she shivered.

“Finn,” she moaned, knowing he must have felt smug that he could still make her sound weak.

Once his mouth was on her sex, she took one of the pillows on the bed and bit down on it. Those soft lips of his knew how to make her whimper. He fumbled a few times, but found a solid rhythm before sinking his fingers into her.

“I’ve missed this,” he grinned, kissing her inner thigh, “I think you’re ready.”

“Finn...”

“I’ve miss the way you would say my name,” he added as he watched her hips raise in time with his hand before he pulled it out. He kissed his way back up to her lips as he rid himself of those shorts. He grabbed the condom from the floor and tried to open it.

“Here,” she took it from him and torn it open. She rolled the latex on his sensitive member, making him groan as she stroked him and switched positions.

“Rose,” he sighed as she readied to lower herself.

“It’s okay,” she smiled. They had attempted this a couple of times, but it had always somehow hurting her or made her uncomfortable. She braced herself at the head entered her. She didn’t want to go too fast, because she figured that might have been the reason they hadn’t been able to enjoy it. Her heart was racing as she continued her descent. She could feel Finn’s eyes on her the entire time, nervous to disappoint him. His hand was on her waist when she fully settled, her thighs quaking as she adjust to his size. Finn had been the only boy she had ever been with. She remembered how nerve racking it was when they did it in her room after junior prom with her parents just downstairs and her sister across the hall with her friends. They tried to be as quiet as possible, but Paige had teased her at breakfast about possibly needing a new mattress.

They let out a breath together before laughing.

“It’s in,” she giggled.

“Oh, yeah it is,” Finn chuckled as she leaned over him, resting her palms on his chest and slowly raised her hips. It was clumsy at first. They giggled anytime he slipped out before finally settle on Rose just rocking her hips back and forth. Her eyes were closed as Finn’s eyes were just stuck on how erect her nipples were right now. He was just hypnotized by them as her breasts. They suddenly seemed bigger than the last time he saw them.

His eyes drifted up to her face. Her cheeks were red, she bit her bottom lip and she whimpered as she rode him. She looked beautiful, heavenly almost. He didn’t deserve this beautiful moment that they were sharing. He stroked her side till he came up to her breast and rubbed her nipple. She threw her head back and let out an erotic cry. 

“Finn,” she whined as her hips started to raise, “does it feel good?”

“Yeah,” he answered as he looked down where they joined. This was amazing. It amazed him that she still wanted him, that she still felt this way towards him. His mind was absolutely blown by this that he was sure going to come just from analyzing this so much. 

“Rose... I’m gonna come...” he groaned.

“Yeah...” she sighed as she rotated her hips. 

In unison they reached their climatic peaks, Rose settling down with her head in the crook of his neck as Finn tried to catch his breath. The chilled room was suddenly very hot and stuffy as they started to giggle. 

“That was great,” Finn smiled.

“Yeah... I think it was the best one yet,” Rose replied as she kissed his cheek and nibbles on his ear. She eventually slide off of him so he could dispose of the condom. When he came back, they quickly huddled under the blanket for warmth, whispering sweet nothings to each other and stealing kisses. Rose wrapped both her arms around Finn as he played little spoon tonight. For now, Rose just wanted to stay with Finn and physically feel he was by her side. 

 

**~*~**

 

Rey eyed the clock on the wall. It was one in the morning and the house was still. She could hear her father softly snoring just down the hall from her. Ben was waiting on her, but this wasn’t like at the motel where he was just next door. She would have to climb downstairs, pass sleeping Snap without disturbing the screen door that squeaked. She turned over in the bed to stare at the ceiling. She drummed her fingers on the stomach as she thought over her options. She could try to sneak down the stairs, but this house was old so every step she took would have woken someone. Then she looked at the window. She got up and looked out. There was a vine ladder near her. What a cliche, but it was better than nothing. She changed into something warmer before opening the window slowly. She looked over her shoulder for a moment to see if she had disturbed the sleepy farmhouse. Taking a deep breath, she climbed out the window and tested the first wrung with her weight. When it didn’t give out, she put her foot on another one. Slowly she began her descent, nearly slipping a few times and stopping when she thought she heard someone coming.

“What are you doing?” Shit... Cassian...

“Just ummm... getting some fresh air,” she simply said.

“Interesting way to get some air,” he chuckled as he shone his flashlight on her.

“Why are you up?”

“I’m on my watch,” he answered, “You never know when someone or something might come and attack.”

“The pastor seems to have that all taken care of,” Rey huffed as she continued her descent. Her foot slipped at the last minute, catching her other one in a wrung as she nearly toppled to the ground. Cassian came in the last minute, catching her before any real damage could happen.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“No,” she hissed, “my ankle... I think... ah...”

He wasted no time dislodging her foot and swept her up in a bridal carry, bringing her towards the porch. He set her down on the stairs and began touching the ankle that hurt.

“Don’t!” she cried.

“I just want to see if it’s broken,” he defended as he started untying her shoe.

“Right? Like you’re some kind of medic,” she snapped as he slowly removed her shoe.

He lightly pulled off her sock before lightly touching the swollen area.

“What’s going on here?” Ben barked as he came out from the RV.

“None of your concern,” Cassian said as he tried to rotate her ankle.

“Please,” she hissed as tears started to prickle, “stop.”

“Get off of her,” Ben snapped as he placed himself in front of Rey, “Make yourself useful and get some ice and a bandage.”

Cassian glared down at the officer. Perhaps he didn’t like being told what to do, but he left regardless.

“What were you doing?” Ben asked as he took a seat next to her to level her ankle on his lap.

“Going to see you... It has been a while since I’ve snuck out a bedroom window,” she halfhearted smile.

Ben rubbed her foot to keep it warm as Cassian return with a bag of ice, bandage, and some pain relief. Attaching the ice to her ankle with the bandage, Ben helped her back up before lifting her effortlessly and carried her to the RV.

“Where are you going?” Cassian called.

“She’s not climbing those stairs,” Ben answered as Rey fought to urge to beam at him, “She’ll be safe here for the night. Don’t worry, kid. I’ll take care of her.”

He slammed the door shut once Rey was settled on the small bunk. She giggled when she heard him grumbling under his breath before he turned to glare at her. He crossed his arm over his chest as he readied to lecture her.

“You know you didn’t have to come if you didn’t feel comfortable,” Ben stated, “We could have waited a couple more days, learn the layout of the area before you tried sneaking around.”

“I wanted to see you,” she defended, “I wanted to prove how much you matter to me.”

“By nearly breaking your ankle? Rey, we need every able body if we’re going to get through this... thing.”

“I’m not a child, you know!” she shouted, “I’m a person too! You don’t think I understand what’s happening here! Or did you forget they took me and used me as an experiment?”

There was a thick silence that settled between them. Rey tried to hold back the tears that were forming, tired of shedding them for a man who couldn’t see past her age. Didn’t he say he loved her? Why was he so insistent on reminding her of their age difference? She turned herself away from him, not wanting to look at him any more. She felt the sudden sag for the bed as it seemed Ben tried join her. She felt his hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said, “This is my doing. I shouldn’t encourage this reckless behavior. Maybe... some distance would be good.”

“No,” she snapped, turning to face him, “Don’t you dare pull that shit, Ben Solo.”

“There was talk about heading the Washington,” he continued, “Jyn has a father working on the cure and perhaps he could use our help. You and your family and friends would be safe here.”

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” she barked as the tears finally fell.

“Rey, it’s not safe for you to go,” Ben answered as he cupped her face, wiping the tears, “and can’t live with myself if something did happen to you.”

Rey shook her head and pushed him away. She didn’t want to talk to him, she didn’t want any of this.

“Rey...” She turned away from him again. “Rey, please don’t be like this. It hurts me to leave you, believe me.”

“Then don’t,” she whimpered softly.

“If I can give you the best chance of survival, then I am willing to take that chance. All I ask in return is for your patience. Just wait for me, sweetheart. And when I have the chance, I’ll come back for you.”

She said nothing. She didn’t want to listen anymore. She was tired of waiting and wish he would just do already, but instead he let out a defeated sigh. He left the bunk and she heard him settle on the floor next to her.

“I love you more than you know, Rey,” he finally said before let more tears fall.

_Stupid child..._

 

**~*~**

 

Ben wake the next morning with crick in his back from sleeping on the floor of the RV. He looked over to find Rey was still in the bunk. He got up from the floor and looked over her. He had heard her sniffling through the night till she finally sleep. He pulled back some of her hair out of her face to find her softly snoring. She shiver slightly at his touch, but turned further away from him. His heart ached for her. She deserved better, but if he was going save her, he felt he needed to do this. He leaned in and kissed her cheek before getting up from the floor. He yawned and stretched as he made his way to the RV door.

“Ben,” he heard Rey say softly, “don’t go...”

He turned back around to find her trying to sit up in the bunk and reach out towards him. Ben looked at her hand before meeting her red and puffy eyes. He nodded before joining her on the bunk. He held her close with her back molded against him. She shivered as he released a deep breath against her neck. He just enjoyed her warmth as his arms settled around her waist. He was going to miss this when he left, but he shouldn’t think about that.

“My ankle,” she started, interrupting his train of thought,“it doesn’t hurt anymore. In fact, it feel like nothing happened last night.”

“What?”

“Usually when ever I sprang my ankle from softball, it would still hurt the next day, but today, it feels like nothing happened. There is no ache, no tightness, nothing. It feels fine.”

Ben got up and looked over the bandaged ankle. How odd that there was no swelling from last night. From what he had saw, he was sure that it could have been broken. Perhaps the pastor would know better since he was the one with the medical degree. Then again, how was he going to explain Rey being in the RV last night?

Sudden there was three knocks at the door.

“SOLO! You better have a good explanation!” called Poe from the other side.

“Shit,” he groaned, “Just don’t move.”

He opened the door to find her father fuming.

“Well, where is she?” Poe barked.

“Inside,” he replied, “she just woke up.”

Poe walked passed him and inside to find nothing out of the ordinary. He went to his daughter’s side to look her over.

“So, tell me,” he began, “Why were you sneaking out?”

“I wanted to see him,” she admitted as Ben felt himself become flush. This was it then. This was how Rey was going to get her revenge on him.

“And why were you going to see Officer Solo?” Poe pressed as he crossed his arms and shot a side glare towards Ben.

“I needed some advice about... boys...”

“Boys?” Poe asked.

“Boy?” Ben parroted as he stood dumbfounded.

“Well, ever since I’ve met Cassian, I suddenly had this hope that maybe I could find someone during the end of the world, so... I need some advice on whether or not I should pursue it.”

“And what did Officer Solo had to say?” Poe continued to press.

“To wait,” she said as her eyes met Ben, “and if it is meant to be, he’ll come to me.”

She gave him a soft smile, reassuring him she meant every single word. It wasn’t the right phrase he was looking for, but for him it was good enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello gamers! How is everyone doing? Hope you enjoyed this bit of softness as Rose and Finn tried to rekindle their romance. What is Ben going to do now that he is choosing to help Jyn reunite with her father? What is Rey going to do with Ben being gone? Where are the zombies? And what about Jabba and Dr. Mitaka?! More of those questions to be answered in the next chapter! Thank you so much for over 2300 hits and 89 kudos. I hope the smut was worth it. Sorry it wasn’t Ben and Rey. I had started writing in this chapter, but it felt like it wasn’t the proper time to. Don’t worry more to come soon. Thanks to Katie716, nyrcella, T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3, uh_no_thanks, and LBellicose for your awesome comments. I read every single one, even if I don’t respond. Thanks everyone for your support. Here’s to the next chapter where things might take a turn for the worse...


	20. We Leave At Dawn

Dr. Gallen Erso was finishing his long shift at the First Order office in D.C. when he noticed the lights in his office were still on. Exhausted from his long day of running into roadblock after roadblock, he begrudgingly made the ascent back up the stairs. He yawned as he dug for his keys only to find his office door was still open. He reached from the gun he now kept on his person for he feared for his life more than ever now. If there were enemies of the First Order, they would do everything in their power to stop them from finding a cure.

“Let the world suffer,” spoke a radical outside the offices one morning, “We are in the end times now!”

His life had been threaten many times for being associated with the company who was robbing the poor of their money and leaving children to be eaten alive. He felt the weight of that guilt every single day as his colleagues cheered over their earnings. Still, if their hearts weren’t in the right place, Gallen was not going to let his judgement be so easily tainted.

He slowly opened the door to his office after he cocked his gun. He readied himself taking a few quick breaths before jumping and aiming to fire.

“Put that thing away, Erso,” sneered Dr. Hux as he looked up from the file he had in his hand, “You could kill someone.”

“Armitage? What are you doing here?” he asked as he lowered his guard.

“Looking at your progress,” he simply said as he turned his attention back to the file, “That serum you gave me didn’t work.”

“Of course not!” Gallen snapped as he took the file back, “If you had read over the notes, you would have known that it wouldn’t have been compatible with any test subject.”

“Yet it was,” Dr. Hux replied with a smirk. Gallen was confused as his boss stood up from his desk. “Have you not read over Dr. Dopheld Mitaka’s findings? He found the imbalance in your formula and made something far more stronger.”

“What do you mean?”

“In a few days, he’ll be testing this theory in order to turn the living dead into conscience weapons of war as well as making them immune to everything,” he continued as he walked over to the mini bar in the office, “You, my friend, are a genius.”

“I don’t understand. How does my miscalculations lead to something like this?”

“Quite simple really,” Dr. Hux continued as he sipped his brandy, “There are these two children, or teenagers really, who had a run in with a zombie. The boy ends up with a minor bite, hardly anything worry about while the girl possibly ingested some of the zombie’s blood without knowing. So the boy through some tests and acting quick before the outbreak damaged his nerve system, develops the same tendencies as the zombies, but still has the conscience thought to whether or not go through with the action. The girl is O-, making a universal blood type. Something mutated into her blood that makes her immune to this disease. So, by combining these two things, we can create something that the world had never seen! We could create a new world order that no one has ever seen. Something is far worse than a nuclear war, but is still manageable to be reigned in.”

Gallen didn’t know what to think till his eyes landed on the doctor’s right hand. Funny... why would he wear a glove on one hand and not the other?

“Did something happen when you were testing the serum, Armitage?” he asked as he noticed the darker veins on Dr. Hux’s neck from under his collar.

“Enlightenment,” was all the young doctor said with a devilish smile on his face.

 

**~*~**

 

“Don’t go,” Cassian said as he watch Jyn tie her boot.

“Now you suddenly care?” she huffed as she grabbed her coat.

“This is silly and also very dangerous,” he replied as he grabbed her arm, “We know nothing about these men. For all you know that could be sick, twisted individuals.”

“Luckily there’s a woman coming along.”

“You trust this Ben Solo? From the looks of it he likes to prey on little girls.”

“Isn’t that calling the pot kettle black?” she jeered as Cassian glared down at her.

“Don’t compare me to him.”

“Of course not,” she continued, “He’s think about what’s best for his people. You only think about what’s best for yourself.”

“Jyn,” he sighed, “if this is about what happened at Blue Ridge, I’m sorry, okay. I thought we were just having a bit of fun. I didn’t think you would have feelings for me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Cass,” Jyn laughed as she picked up her bag, “To call something fun, meant it was fun for BOTH parties.”

As she turned the corner, she nearly ran into Rey who was holding one of the pastor’s old medical books.

“Sorry,” she half smiled, “didn’t see you there, Jyn.”

The petite girl rolled her eyes and shoved Rey out of the way as she made her way downstairs.

“Don’t let her bother you,” she heard Cassian say, “She’s on the rag I think.”

“Fuck you!” she called over her shoulder.

“Jyn,” Pastor Tekka spoke up, “Language.”

“Sorry,” she blushed not knowing he was in the foyer with the others. 

Han, Amilyn, and Ben were all her traveling companions to Washington. She would be lying to herself if she was confident in this decision, but what choice did she have? Jyn didn’t want to just wait around till who knows what to come and devour her. Her father needed her help. Perhaps with her help, this curse can be lifted and they can finally be about to rebuild this world. 

They were leave at night in hopes to avoid any Clan members that would be scouting the area and to keep the farm safe. Although the sheriff had asked if she had made any contact with her father, she had lied to them in saying she had. She had no idea what he had been up since he had forced her leave D.C. to live with a friend in Chattanooga. When the city was lost, Jyn knew she had to get back to him. She didn’t even know if he was still alive, but knowing the First Order, they couldn’t survive without him. Her father had been a vital part of the First Order Enterprise. Without him, they wouldn’t have had half of the advancements in medicine. She knew of how brilliant he was from all the long hours he put in for them. She remember how exhausted he would come home from his time at the office. He would lament to her about the insanity that was going on. The quest for the elixir of life was what led to this madness that is happening now. She knew all along and now it was time to put an end to it.

 

**~*~**

 

Ben looked over the supplies as Poe was looking over the truck the pastor had offered them for their long trek. They had another gas tank, enough food and water for at least a week or so, and enough ammo to fight off anything. He was about to start loading when he felt someone tug on his shirt. He turned to find Rey offering him a small smile.

“Hi,” she said meekly.

“Hi,” he answered looking over to see if her dad was watching them, which turned out he was as he wiped his hand with an grease towel.

“Need any help?” she asked.

“I’m pretty sure I can handle this,” Ben replied as he stuck his hands in his pockets, “but thanks for asking.”

It had been a bit awkward between them since the RV incident. They had been avoiding each other since then, not making attempts to see each other. It hurt his heart more to see her spend time with Cassian, but it was a charade she had to keep up. Poe approved of the young ex-military man as a companion over the much older police officer. Which was understandable. Poe was in the air force when he was younger, so naturally he would want his daughter with someone that he felt would be a great protector for her. Ben was someone in his mind that would hurt Rey, take advantage of her and break her heart. Maybe he was in a way being very selfish by going on this trip. He didn’t want to see her get hurt, but his heart ached at the thought of being away from her for so long.

She looked down at her feet. Jyn had been nice enough to give her a pair of boots to replace the blood splattered converse she had. Ben looked again to find Poe heading to the barn to get more tools or whatever he needed for the truck. He took this opportunity to cup Rey’s chin and kiss her. She stiffened at first, surprised by this sudden act, but relaxed into his hold, molding herself into him so there was no space between them.

“Don’t go,” she whispered against his mouth as they slowly pulled apart.

“I have to.”

“No, you don’t,” she snapped as he met her tearful gaze, “Jyn would be fine with Holdo and Han. We could use your help here.”

“You’ll have your father, Snap, Cassian, your brother, the Ticos, and Chewie here,” he smiled, wiping the few tears that rolled down her cheek, “You’ll hardly know I’m gone.”

“Yes, I will,” she answered as she pressed her forehead against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Who knew when they would have a moment like this again? He wanted to hold her like this forever, just enjoying her warm embrace was enough for her.

When Rey pulled back, she reached into her pocket and placed something small in his hand.

“Come to me before you leave. My room is on the second floor,” she whispered, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

 

**~*~**

 

Cassian was helping Finn feed the dogs when he finally decided to ask.

“So your sister,” he cleared his throat when the young man turned to glare at him, “she ever talked about me?”

“What do you mean?” Finn asked as he was petting Chewie.

“Well, does she talk about me or mention anything about me?”

“If she did, she wouldn’t tell me,” the one arm man replied as he stood up and brushed the dog fur off of him, “Paige would be the person to ask. They tell each other everything.”

“But I thought you guys were close?”

“Doesn’t mean she wants her brother knowing what kind of guy she likes,” he smirked as he walked him, “Beside, if she did end up taking a liking to you and you DID end up breaking her heart, one arm is not going to hold me back from kicking your ass, Cass.”

Cassian shouldn’t worry too much. His competition would be gone soon with Jyn, who still looked at him like he a blemish that wouldn’t go away. Perhaps he shouldn’t have taken advantage of her, but how was he supposed to know someone like Rey was out there. Her and Jyn were as different as night and day. While Jyn was more straightforward and determined, Rey had a feisty edge that was just addicting to watch. There was something about her that made her light up an entire room without her even knowing. He loved watching her particle her batting after she found a baseball and bat in the barn. He offered to pitch for her a couple of times though he was never good at it. Their conversation had become more civilized and she did tend to smile at him from time to time, but there was that gnawing feeling that wouldn’t go away. Rey was very interested in the police officer. He saw it in the way she would look at Ben at the dinner table. Cassian might have seen how his pinky had grazed over hers at one point. Perhaps Ben did have feelings for Rey too, but he wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore. Soon his competition would be out of the way and who knew when or if they would return. Well, he did hope that Jyn would make it back.

He followed Finn back to the house as Ben and Snap were loading up the truck. Rey was laughing on the porch with Paige as she braided her brunette locks. He offered her a smile and she turned to ignore him. Paige merely shrugged at him as she finished the final braid. 

Sure. Once Ben was gone, Rey would need someone and that someone was surly going to be him.

 

**~*~**

 

The travel party decided to leave at dawn since Poe had tried everything to get the lights to work on the to work. Which gave Ben plenty of time to contemplate his decision. Rey had given him a condom. Where she got it would be a story that would have to wait for another time. For now he had to think over what he was going to do. Does he go to her tonight or does he leave things as they are? Rey had been clear from the start of her desires for him. Whenever he teased her or pleasures her, she made it very clear in whispers on what she wanted him to do to her. She had tried many different times to convince him that they should take their relationship to the next level. Mindless fucking as she had so delicately put it. Maybe that would be enough. She was still young and when he was her age that’s how he had viewed sex. Just a way to make stimulate the senses, but he wanted so much more. He thought about her day in and day out. He enjoyed being with her and even just the minor encounters, he always walked away with a small smile. However, he had to know how she truly felt about him. If he was going to go through with this.

He stood outside her door and took a deep breath before knocking on it. She opened it, smiling up at him, taking his hand and pulling him in before anyone saw. Immediately her lips were on him as her fingers threaded through his hair. His hands were on her hips as she slowly walked backwards, trying to guide him to the bed. He grunted and caught himself as they fell on the creaky mattress. She giggled as her legs hugged either side of him, kissing his neck as she tugged at the sweatshirt he wore.

“Rey...” he started, but she pulled the sweatshirt off and marveled at him.

“It’s been too long, Ben,” she smirked as she ran a hand over his chest, promptly making them switch places so she was on top. With one motion, she took off the large shirt she had on and revealed she wasn’t wearing anything else. She was ready for this and was anticipating him to be ready as well.

“I’ve dreamt about this moment,” she continued as she rocked her hips against his jeans, “For the moment I met you I knew who I wanted to lose my virginity to. I wanted to wait. I really did. I had hoped maybe when I graduated, it would have been easier.”

“Rey...” he sighed as he felt her hands work the button and zipper on his jeans and the blush form on her cheeks when she realized that he wasn’t wearing anything else under them.

“Did you bring it?” Rey asked coyly as she leaned over to nibble on his ear.

“Yes,” he answered as he worked those jeans off, “but I need to know something.”

She found the condom on the bed and began to open it, but he stopped her from going any further.

“If we are going to do this, I need to know what your feelings are for me,” he said. She looked at him confused. 

“I thought I made it clear from the start. I want you, Ben...”

“But do you love me?” Ben asked as he lifted himself up to meet her gaze, “Do you love me or is this just a game to you?”

He watched her bottom lip tremble as she tried to process everything. Perhaps this was too much for her. He shouldn’t have said anything. He should have just let her do what she wanted like she always did or not shown up at all. He was about to speak when he saw tears start to fall. He didn’t mean to make her upset. That was not his intent at all. 

“Rey...”

“Get out,” she gritted as she grabbed her shirt and climbed off of him. 

“Rey, please...”

“I said get out,” she snapped as she covered herself, turning away from him, “I can’t believe... who do you think I am?” She whipped around to glare at him. “Do you think I just go around to anyone and do the things we do? I care about you very much. It hurts me to know that you’re leaving and I don’t know when or if you’re coming back...”

He stopped her before she could even finish that statement. His lips were on hers in a matter of moments. She tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t let her. He was wrong to pressure her, to make her spill her heart out when she wasn’t ready. His lips trailed down her jawline to her neck. He pulled on the collar to expose her collarbone and nipped and suckled on her bare skin. Rey slowly began to relax in his arms as she allowed him to remove her shirt.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to her skin before take her nipple in his mouth. She whimpered softly, “Asshole... Jerk... Idiot...” He would take every insult she threw his way. It was her own way of telling him how she really felt. He took the condom and slipped on his wait cock, stroking him to full erection as she watch with a nervous look.

“Let me know if it’s too much,” he said and she nodded. She may have been eager before, but now she looked like a frightened child, but the excitement and anticipation still glittered in those hazel eyes. Ben rubbed her entrance with the head of his dick, hold one leg as he slowly entered her. She bucked when he breached her and closed her eyes shut as he pushed through. She was so tight it nearly hurt him to see her in such discomfort.

“We can stop,” he said.

“How far are you in?” Rey asked with a shaky voice.

“Little over halfway,” Ben answered as he waited for her.

“Just... give me a moment...”

Ben felt her shaking as she tried to adjust herself. She opened her eyes, looked down at where they joined, and let out an airy giggle.

“You think you’ll be able to fit?” she teased, “I could barely get you with my mouth.”

“I’ll fit,” he replied, his voice dropping an octave, making her meet his intense gaze, “and you’ll love every inch of it.”

“I already knew that,” she whispered. 

It was a minor confession, but Ben would take it. When he finally settled into her, he felt her tighten and pulse around him as her arms found their way around his neck, pulling him down to kiss her. She didn’t cry, but she held him still till she was ready. He started slow, kissing her lips, cheeks, and neck any chance he got. When her moans started to get louder, he shifted gears. He moved his thumb to her clit knowing he would last much longer the more he thrusted into her. She chanted his name, begging him to take to the breaking point. The bed creaked loud underneath them, perhaps alerting whoever was near them about their secret affair. It wouldn’t matter, because in the morning Ben would be gone. He slowed his pacing, pulling out and sharply thrusting back in to make this moment last longer. She immediately wanted to change positions, being more adventurous than him. Shifting so she was on top and grinding down on him so she was in control. The confidence shown in her eyes like she had being doing this forever, a trained lover who knew how to drive him over the edge.

“I love you,” she whispered as tears started to fall from her eyes, “I love you... I love you... I love you...”

“I know,” he replied before suckling on her breast.

She cried out into the night air, her body trembling before to collapsed on his chest. He followed suit as he gently thrusted into her before slipping out. He rolled over so the laid on their sides. He disposed of the condom before coming back to her.

“When will you leave?” Rey asked as he pulled the covers over them, her eyes half open.

“Not for a while,” he said as he kissed her forehead, “Let’s get some sleep, okay?”

She half nodded as she settled into his side.

“I meant what I said, Ben,” she yawned, “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello surprise update! It has been a while, but I finally found time to write. It is very rare with how work has been and stuff. But Woot, Woot, they finally did it. I want to thank everyone for over 2500 hits and 94 kudos. I’m sorry I’m the worst for not updating in a while, but left happens and then you realize as you’re starting to write one idea, you’ve completely forgot about the one story you’re supposed to be working on. My bad, guys. I also want to thank AlbaStarGazer, uh_no_thanks, Zombie_Queen, LBellicose, Katie716, nyrcella, and T1mb3rfoxcr33k_Shylo3 for your amazing comments. I read every single one. Thank you all again for your patience and support. Till next time. ❤️🥰🧟♂️


	21. Lead Me to Salvation

Two men with passed a can of dip between themselves as they waited on the scout.

“What if he don’t show up?” one asked the other after tucking the tobacco under his lip.

“He better,” the other one answer after he spat, “if he knows what’s best for him.”

There was a rustle from the bushes, alerting them that someone was coming. They both grabbed their guns, ready to fire when Cassian popped out. 

“Sam, Fish! Long time, no seen,” he smirked as K2 trailed behind him, “Good to seen you’ve bath since then.”

“Cut the shit, Cass,” Fish sneered, “We knows you is a traitor.”

“Traitor? Me?” he chuckled, “Where would you get that idea?”

“Jabba knows it was you who let the diseased one out,” Sam answered, “He’s none too happy about that.”

“Would he be happy with this?” Cassian asked as he tossed a black trash bag at their feet. The men cautiously eyed, not letting their guard down. He pulled out a bandanna and covered his nose, before pulling a knife. Fish cocked his gun as Cassian knelt at the bag. 

“You’re going to want to cover your nose,” he said before cutting the bag open. The men openly gagged as smell of rotting flesh hit them like a wall. 

“What the hell you trying, boy?” Sam coughed as Fish turned to vomit. 

“It’s the arm of the _diseased one_ ,” Cassian said as he showed it to them. Fish continued to hurl when he saw the decomposing arm. 

“What are we supposed to do with that?” Sam asked as he covered his mouth with his coat. 

“Whatever you want with that. Jabba wanted to start a war, he can have at it,” the young man explained as he wrapped the limb back up, “Just on one condition... He leaves the pastor alone.”

The men started to laugh as Cassian’s face never wavered.

“Sam, I think he’s serious,” Fish said as his companion continued to laugh.

“Like he has any power here,” the redneck chuckled as he slowly approached the ex-military man. The doberman jumped in front of his master and started growling.

“If you value your life, you’d might want to chose your next step _very_ carefully,” Cassian smirked, knowing he had the upper hand.

 

**~*~**

 

Ben had left Rey one of his shirts as a token to hold on to. At night she would wear it, taking in his scent, hoping that maybe he would appear. Watching him leave was hardest thing she had ever gone through. They had been through so much since their time in Polk City. It felt like years had passed rather than just months. Rey held onto the hope that Ben would return sooner rather than later. She didn’t like the idea of being apart for so long. She loved him and he loved her. If her father knew, he would have called her crazy. What did she know about love? She was still a kid, but something in the way Ben looked at her, held her, whispered to her, kissed her, she knew it was something different. It was warm and inviting and very addictive. Which made her frighten when she had heated dreams about him and she would wake up to find her bed empty. She snuck into Paige’s room from time to time, knowing that Rose was spending all her evenings with Finn, and curl up with her friend to lament about the loneliness she felt. Paige did try to distract her. They would do their chores together, explore the farm and all its splendors. The light snow covered mountains seemed to put her in a place of serenity, making her sometime forget that the world was falling apart, but they were cautious to stay in the designated perimeter to keep them out of sight front the Clan. Not Rey was really afraid of them. Let them try to bring their fight, Rey would swing away.

Another good distraction was Pastor Tekka’s study. Though he had many books on faith, he also had a wide array of books on medicine and the human anatomy. So, Rey decided to study these books. Who knows? Maybe one day they might come in handy. Once Rey was done with her chores, she would spend hours reading over the text, digesting everything she could learn and even reading the notes that were written on the side. It was then she found the medical journals. Not only were they in-depth analyses on the process this doctor went through, but they almost seemed like personal accounts. The doctor would talk in great deal about his patients as if they were family. He would recount follow up with them and talked about the progress of their lives. 

_Susan is getting married next month. Paul is looking forward to seeing his grandkids. Andrea wants to be a doctor like me._

Every passage made Rey smile as the doctor reminisced over each patient. Then she got to a page where the writing seemed to be smudged and there were water droplets that had wrinkled some of the pages. Rey read the passage as her heart dropped from the first words.

_Lily is gone. I did everything I could to repair the heart value, but there were too many complications. She had lost too much blood and her heart gave out. She was only three. Her parents were heartbroken when I told them what happened. We did everything we could have... At least that’s what I keep telling myself. I’ve lost patients before, but this... this hurt me so much more. At least with the others they were ready to die. She was so young... I should have done more... There had to have been a way I could save her..._

“Found something interesting to read?” the pastor interrupted, drawing Rey’s attention away from the journal.

“Sorry,” she replied, closing the leather bound book and placing it on the shelf with the others.

“It’s all right,” he smiled as he sat on in a chair next to her, “I haven’t looked at those in ages.”

“These are yours?” Rey asked and he nodded, “You were a surgeon?”

"How else would I know how to remove your brother’s arm?” he chuckled, taking no offense to Rey’s discovery, “The other names escape me, but Lily is one I’ll never forget.”

“Sir?”

“Heart transplant,” he continued, “Everything was going fine and then, she started to have a seizure. Everything happened so fast, we did everything we could, but by then she was gone and the organ... Christ... her parents were not angry. In fact they had so much faith in the Lord that they believed it salvation their daughter could ask for. Still, I didn’t want to accept the loss. She was so young that there could have been something more I could have done.”

He let out a deep sigh as he cradled his head in his hand. It seemed like he hadn’t told this story in a long time.

“I had taken a month long vacation and locked myself away from the world. I read every article, every piece of material I could find on successful heart transplants that had the same complications my team and I had to face, but I couldn’t find anything that we had done wrong. It was when Vivian came to see me.”

“Vivian?” Rey asked.

“Lily’s mother. She found out where I lived and wanted to see how I was doing. Apparently, I was a complete wreck,” he smiled, “She made me shower as she cooked me some supper. I can’t remember what it was, but it was made from what little food I had. When I asked her why she had come, she said she had gotten this feeling that something was wrong. She had gone searching for answers until somehow it led her to me. And I guess, from the way I looked, she could tell I needed more help than her. I had asked her how she had been since her daughter’s death. She teased up a little, but said that coping had been hard on everyone. She talked about the little things Lily did. She was a dancer or at least they had planned on her taking dance lessons after the surgery. We talked for hours till finally all the guilt came boiling over and I just poured my heart out to her,” fresh tears began to fall as Pastor Tekka spoke his truth, “I had asked her why she wasn’t more angry with me. I was in charge of saving their daughter. I was supposed to make sure she was all right. I was used to people being so angry with me when ever someone died on my table, but she just took my hand and simply said it wasn’t my fault. She said that she had no reason to be angry at me, because she knew in her heart that I did everything I could have done, but God had other plans for Lily. Perhaps she was the vessel to lead me to my salvation...”

“So... we prayed together and for the first time in a month I was finally at ease. This weight had just been lifted off my shoulders and I almost didn’t know what to do with myself,” he got up from his chair, went to his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled out an old, ratty bible with tabs of different colors sticking out from it. Some more faded than others like a rainbow after a storm. 

Rey looked it over before taking it from the pastor. 

“I knew then what I had to do,” he continued, “So much of my life had been devoted to  saving people that I had no idea I was the one who needed saving as well. I left the hospital and went back to school. I became a pastor and went from church to church spreading the good word as well as helping those in need. When the outbreak happen, I had just settled on this farm and when Jabba started to send his cronies on innocent people, I helped them escape. If there was a bit victim, I do everything to heal them or at least ease their suffering.”

“Has it gotten easier for you?” she asked and he shook his head.

“But that is what life is about. We must go through adversity before we can reap our rewards.”

 

**~*~**

 

Dr. Mitaka was impressed with how intact the arm was still after a month of being separated. The fat lard known as Jabba watched over him as the doctor examined.   
 ****

“What good is that thing?” he asked as he cover his mouth with a handkerchief.

“More than you know,” the young doctor answered as he began dissecting the limb, “By looking over the muscle, the veins and bone we might be able to find some remanence of the infection. Once we extract that, we can start making that super formula for your undead army.”

“How long should that take you?” Jabba impatiently asked.

“As long as it takes,” he replied as he handed the large man a device.

“What’s this?”

“A tracker,” the doctor smirked, “You can’t trust people nowadays. You had mentioned this Cassian man had been giving you and your men some trouble. With this, you’ll be able to find him anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter isn't as long, but I needed to update this bad boy. Thanks for your patience. Thanks ReyloRobyn2011, uh_no_thanks, Zombie_Queen, and nyrcella for your comments. Promise more to come. Work and stuff just getting in the way, but ya know. Thanks again everyone. I hope you've enjoyed the other stuff I've posted with Souviens and Rhythm of Your Heart. Thanks again. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, look at me... I started another fic. I saw the Dead Don't Die and I just started writing. I hope you all enjoy this first chapter. Already working on a second chapter. Let the zombie romance begin!


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